The Lost
by Tastastix Patooters
Summary: The local papers reported that, in her recklessness to save a life, Taniyama Mai had died a gruesome and fiery death. A survivor hailed her as a hero. They saw the certificate, accepted the news, and mourned before her grave. There is always a skeptic.
1. Prologue: Their Abrupt Separation

*horror music plays*

A/N: I LIIIIIIIIVE! *brushes off ashes* So I'm super tardy to the fandom, I know, but better late than never, eh? Please ready your Ghost Hunt BINGO cards; it's another "Mai has disappeared/Mai is dead" story. BOOM! First stamp is a freebie! BUT (EVERYBODY, CALM DOWN, FOR I HAVE A "BUT"), **I got tired of Mai contracting amnesia, of Mai running from Naru, and ESPECIALLY of Naru dropping all contact with Mai over the years.** Naru is so bull-headed and persistent when he cares about someone (the entire Ghost Hunt series had him tracking Gene's body, for Satan's sake!), and he obviously gives a rat's ass about Mai enough to speak so informally towards her, to save her, and even to comfort her on more than one occasion. I feel it's still within Naru's character to pursue Mai if he got wind that she had fallen on hard times or disappeared completely, so I'm giving you a mystery wrapped in a cliche. Please forgive me for and do your best to ignore any plot holes you might encounter.

Things to note: The way psychometry is explained and used in this fic is that visions are shown of an object's history, causing more strain on the psychic the further back they probe. I would like to explain the instance of Naru knowing of Gene's death through psychometric visions while touching clothes that were nowhere near Gene at the time of his death, as a sort of psychic twin-bond sprinkled with some psychometry.

Genres: mystery, romance (MUCH later), and a sprinkle of drama

Disclaimer: only saying it once… I don't own Ghost Hunt.

Summary: The local papers reported that, in her recklessness to save a life, Taniyama Mai had died a gruesome and fiery death. A survivor hailed her as a hero. They saw the certificate, accepted the news, and mourned before her grave. There is always a skeptic.

* * *

 **Prologue:  
** **Their Abrupt Separation**

SPR had received a request from Kujukuri. Naru, Lin, and Yasuhara packed up the equipment before a pouting Mai. "Ah! Stupid entrance exams! Why did we have to get a case now of all times?" she agonized.

Yasuhara laughed in the face of her misery as he packed. Lin silently kept to his task of loading the van. Naru was the only one to actually answer her, "If you weren't so dumb, you could have probably come with us, but an idiot like you needs as many chances to test into university as you can get, Mai."

"WHAT?!" Mai shouted indignantly. Naru looked at her from down his nose, and she scrunched her face in displeasure. She stuck out her tongue before diving back into her textbook. Her lamentations were quickly replaced with grumbles as she loudly scribbled down more notes to prove that she was studying. "Like I need more than one… okay, maybe two tries…." Half an hour later, a shadow fell over her book and notes. Mai glared up at Naru. "What now?"

"You'll still need to come in to accept calls and listen to messages, but you can study with the heater on." Mai's eyes widened. She was slightly taken aback by his generosity. He handed her a list and a spare set of keys. "We're running low on some supplies, so restock them while you're at it. Oh, and get some more tea leaves, black; none of that flavored or fruit compost that you and Matsuzaki seem to favor."

"Compost!" Mai huffed. She folded her arms and turned her head away. "How dare you! I'll have you know that strawberry and raspberry tea is super delicious!"

Naru glared at her as if she had personally insulted him. "It's a waste of money; just buy juice if you want something with fruit."

"Boss, we're ready when you are!" Yasuhara called from the door.

Naru kept his eyes steady on Mai. "Just restock the office according to the list. We'll be back within a week's time, so do try not to lose us any clientele." He smoothly slid away from her and to the door. Mai stuck out her tongue at his back and almost bit herself in withdrawing it when he paused at the open doorway to shoot her a warning glare. "Oh, and don't forget to turn off the heater and lights and to lock the door each time you leave. If I even think you left anything on overnight, it's coming out of your pay, as well as anything stolen if you forget to lock up."

He closed the door just as Mai threw a notebook at it. "I KNOW!"

Yasuhara kept Mai updated through their group chat on LINE with Takigawa, Masako, John, and Ayako. Naru and Lin both did not have the app and refused to download it. In their down time, Yasuhara and Takigawa sent her funny stickers and memes, John had his encouraging messages ever since she told them about her needing to study, Masako scolded her for slacking, and Ayako reminded her to rest and eat well. On the first day of the case, she sent selfies of her studying. She even took one of her with a box printed with pink swirls and bright red berries and a steaming cup of tea, requesting that Yasuhara show Naru to spite him.

When her boss personally called her to reprimand her for frivolous spending, she confessed that she used her own money and laughed at him even as he hung up in the midst of her guffawing. She had been thinking about inviting them to hang out in the office when she got an update from the chat: Naru had called in Takigawa, John, Masako, and Ayako to join the Kujukuri case. Apparently, the genius had deemed the situation serious enough to call everyone in by the second day. There were a lot of road trip selfies from Takigawa, Yasuhara, and Ayako. The chat was loaded with them when she checked after the first day they met up.

On her third day alone, and her first round of exams, she sent what she thought were comical before and after selfies. Masako pointed out that she just looked tired in both pictures. It was on the fourth day and the second and final round of her entrance exams that she sent a picture of herself, obviously taken by someone else, posing victoriously in front of her school along with a message:

 _15:22  
_ _Just got out! It's finally over! \\(^0^)/  
_ _I'm gonna drop by the office and then go home._

After that, the chat was dead from her end. Mai did not send another message, photo, or sticker. She did not reply to any other texts, nor did she pick up her phone. In fact, her phone had been disconnected when Takigawa had tried to call her. Yasuhara and the irregular SPR members grew concerned. When told of what happened, Naru didn't even glance up but reasoned that, "The idiot probably did something to break her phone, or lost her charger. She doesn't have a landline, and she most likely doesn't have our numbers memorized or written down."

His logic calmed them slightly. However, their worry was still present, and Takigawa and Ayako not-so-subtly urged Naru to stop showing off and hurry it up. Luckily, Naru's title as a genius was no empty thing. He closed the case late into the fifth day, mostly to end the pestering, and the team spent the evening driving back to Tokyo. A ninety minute drive stretched to two hours thanks to traffic and road reconstruction, and it was grueling. Takigawa could not stop fidgeting, Ayako kept checking her phone every other minute, John was clutching a rosary to his chest, and Yasuhara sat quietly alongside a stony-faced Masako.

Over twenty-four hours passed, and Mai still had not contacted any of them.

It was well past midnight by the time they returned. They went straight to her apartment and knocked on the door for a solid minute before her landlady came, shouting irate reprimands on her way up the stairs. When she saw on which door they were knocking, she stopped mid-tirade and beckoned them downstairs with a sullen face. She went straight to her stack of paper recyclables and handed Naru the top newspaper after flipping a few pages. She locked the door behind her, before they even read it. Takigawa banged on the door in confusion, the others watching and wondering. Naru began the short walk back to the car as he read. He quietly hailed a taxi in the chaos and left without a word to anyone.

They finally noticed his disappearance when Lin called out for him and received no response. Naru did not answer Lin's messages, nor any of his three calls. Lin lied and told everyone that Naru went back to the office to finish some paperwork and bid them a rushed goodnight.

Lin drove straight to the office and was relieved to see that the lights were on. Naru's door was closed, but Lin could hear him typing. It was strange that he was hitting the keys loud enough to be heard through the door since he was usually so quiet and his fingers light. Lin scanned the sitting area. On the table was a white and pink box of teabags next to an abandoned cup of half-drunk tea. Across one of the chairs he found the folded newspaper they had received from Mai's landlady. He set his keys down and picked the paper up, flipping through the pages. There were articles about sports, a concert… and a house fire? Lin paused and felt the blood drain from his face; a sickening feeling crawled up his spine. There was a picture of the charred ruins of what used to be a house, a family photo consisting of an older gentleman with two girls of different schooling age, and Mai's school photo.

His good eye zoomed through the article, catching key words – Yamasaka family, house, fire, Taniyama Mai, body, burned, recognition, but nothing stuck beyond them. His mind was overworking itself in its futile attempt to process the overwhelming information. He frantically flipped through the newspaper, absently hoping to find more details on the incident. The assistant stopped when he found a square of missing information, neatly cut out from the obituaries. His hand went to his mouth as the something chilly shot into his chest and bloomed. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he also couldn't help himself. His mind shut down. She wasn't… No… She couldn't be!

Lin was startled from his shock when Naru smoothly strode out of his office. The younger man said nothing but held tightly to a square newspaper clipping as he slipped on his coat and threw his scarf round his neck. Lin could hear him mumbling to himself, "I told her to turn off the heater and to lock the door if she were to leave. She's lucky nothing seems to be missing. I'll need to have a word with her after I find her."

The older man ran to and stopped him, laying a firm hand on Naru's shoulder. He was incredibly tense. " _Oliver_ ," he said in English, " _where are you going?_ "

Naru kept his eyes on the door. Nothing in his body language showed that he acknowledged his assistant, but he replied in Japanese, "To find Mai." He turned head to look back at the older man. His voice had been clipped and impatient, and his eyes held a hard edge to them. The rest of his body was still, disturbingly so, and there was a tightness in his fine jaw. "Let me go, Lin," he demanded. There was a silent threat that he would use his PK should he be denied.

Lin held their eye contact, searching him a little more. Then, with his hand still planted on Naru, told him, "It's cold. Allow me to brew some tea for the road. Just wait, and I'll drive us." The younger man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but nodded and turned his head back to the door, refusing to budge. Lin collected the teacup and the box of strawberry and raspberry teabags from the coffee table. He dumped the old tea, and left the cup for later washing.

No one in the office would drink such tea anymore, so he stepped on the bin's pedal. The lining rustled softly as the metal lid sprung open. He was about ready to empty the teabags into the bin when Naru stopped him. "What are you doing? I know it's complete rubbish, but if we toss out her compost, the idiot will demand compensation. Just set it in one of the cupboards for her."

Lin froze. The box of dried and bagged fruit weighed five kilos heavier in his hand. He swallowed the saliva pooling thickly in his mouth. Naru's dark eyes were staring at him, waiting for him to obey and challenging him to disobey. The assistant silently nodded and released the pedal, the lid falling back over the bin with a quiet _thud_. Naru's eyes were glued to the box as he watched as it made its safe voyage from Lin's hand to a shelf.

Naru exhaled audibly through his nose in approval before turning back around to the door, waiting. Lin quickly boiled up some water and grabbed two boxes. He filled their thermoses with boiled water and dropped a tea bag in each, discreetly snapping open two capsules and dumping the powdery contents into Naru's thermos before slipping the red and white casings into his pocket for later disposal. The over-steeping would have Naru complaining, but it would to disguise the extra bitterness. Lin turned off the heater and grabbed his keys.

At the sound of jangling metal, Naru turned off the light and opened the door. "We've wasted too much time," he stated. "Let's go."

Lin checked his phone's battery and swirled the thermoses around before stowing them away in his bag. He snatched a bottle of water, just in case, and followed his charge out the door. In the car, Naru frowned at the heat of his tea. Lin passed him the water to help speed up the cool down. He sighed when he was finally able to sip at his tea without burning his tongue and directed Lin down the road. His face scrunched slightly to show his displeasure in drinking the strong tea, but he said nothing. They drove along in a straight line for ten minutes. As they approached a four-way intersection, Lin asked, "Which way?"

No answer. He glanced over at the passenger seat and found Naru fast asleep. The pills had kicked in faster than he had expected. Lin sighed in relief and went straight for a few meters before pulling off to the side. He took out his phone and went through his contacts. He had five people to call immediately, but he didn't know who should receive the bad news first. Definitely not Hara Masako... Yasuhara? Brown? Matsuzaki?

His fingers moved on their own and the phone rang once, twice, until, "Hello?"

At hearing the voice, Lin felt his throat constrict. What was happening? "H-H…" He coughed; the dryness of it irritated his throat. Both his eyes and his nose burned. Was it a delayed response? He rubbed a hand over his mouth before clenching his eyes shut.

"Lin, did you find Naru?" the inquisitive voice asked.

Lin leaned back against his seat and turned to look at the sleeping man beside him. "T-Takigawa-san…" he said softly, shakily, "I need you to help me… tell the others…."

"Sure... Tell them what, exactly?"

The heat from the car mixed with that of his roiling emotions, so Lin exited the car. He slammed the door behind him with a little more force than necessary and shivered in the bracing winter night. The cold helped to clear his head for a bit, but he still felt unsteady and fell back against the car. Without the distraction of having to keep an eye on a conscious Naru, the weight of the news he planned to deliver was setting in and sticking his tongue to the roof of his dry mouth.

"Lin… what's going on?" Takigawa's voice went from helpful to wary.

"Taniyama-san was involved in a fire."

There was a pause and a sharp inhale from the other end of the phone, "… W…W-What?"

"The newspaper," he started explaining, "talked about a fire. Her photo was in it. She was in the house after it caught on fire. I went to check the obituaries, but it was missing an entry. The article mentioned a body burned beyond recognition, and… I think it was her." It all came out like water from a broken dam. He couldn't stop himself; he had to tell someone because Naru did not seem like he had been in a listening, or even rational, mood when they had left the office.

"Wait, Lin, you can't be serious!" Takigawa shouted. "Slow down, man!" He was panicked, and his voice hitched, " _Please_ … you can't be serious…. This can't be happening."

Lin peered into the car at Naru. Even asleep, he was still gripping something, a clipping. Lin opened the door and climbed over his seat, ignoring the incoherent rambling coming from his phone. He gently pried the piece of paper from Naru's hand and unfolded it. He gave a soft cry at seeing its contents.

"What is it now?!"

"I..." Lin swallowed heavily, "I found… Naru… had the missing obituary." He turned on the car's lights to get a better look at it.

"… No…"

"It says she… died, about… two days ago…."


	2. Chapter 1: Their First Encounter

A/N: Glad to see the fandom is still alive! Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews, you guys! I'm super grateful, especially considering this is my first step back into writing in years. Fun Fact: This story started off as a one-shot, but the original was too bare for my liking, so I fleshed it out into a two-shot. It had gotten better, but then I saw the holes, so I fleshed it out even more. Now it has multiple chapters, one of my greatest fears. I had always had big plotlines running through my head, but I could never see them to fruition (as evidenced by some of my discontinued works and preference of one-shots). I really liked the premise I had thought up, so I decided not to publish anything until it was complete.

I can safely assure you that this fic won't be discontinued or abandoned. I'm committed AF. I'm just polishing it up before posting the chapters. I'm sifting through the chapters to make sure everything makes sense, constantly questioning… are my characters properly motivated in their convictions? Are the dialogue and descriptions redundant? Is everyone staying in character throughout the story (I apologize for any OOC-ness if not)? Is there consistency between each chapter? Are there any elements that I introduced for convenience's sake only to drop them later? And the most important question: DOES EVERYTHING MAKE SENSE?! **Constructive criticism is** _ **always**_ **welcome.** I will try to keep a constant update timetable/schedule, but no promises. There will be seven entries in total – the prologue, five chapters, and the epilogue. With this, I removed the suspense for some people, and in others increased it, I'm sure.

An OC will be introduced in this chapter. She is not one that will be mentioned in any future _Ghost Hunt_ fics I intend to write (I'm actually in the midst of outlining a second one now, not a sequel). She is vital to this story alone, but don't feel bad if you don't like her. Forewarning: there will be excerpts of exposition on her in the first two chapter, so I apologize if that bothers you; I'm currently trying to trim it down. I tried my best, but she still might come off a bit Mary Sue. Meh, enough of my ramblings! _Ghost Hunt_ BINGO cards (or any fanfiction or literary BINGO cards, really) at the ready, please! It's time to dive into the first chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 1:  
** **Their First Encounter**

Yamasaka Shinobu believed in facts. She believed in science and research. Conversely, ever since she could remember, she had been capable of… supernatural feats. They were the sort of things that neither science nor logic could explain. She had begun to study texts on the parapsychology in her first year of junior high and secretly conducted some research into during her third year of junior high. She had found both experts and scammers in her search for someone to help control her powers. The years passed with her attempting to solve the puzzle of her own self, alone. And, although she was still far from complete mastery of her powers, Shinobu had had sufficient enough control to not use them unconsciously during her graduation ceremony. However, she had quickly learned that with this newfound control came gnawing curiosity. She had wondered if she could see a person's history as well as she could an item's. It was on a balmy night that Shinobu had used her powers to jump into her slumbering sister's memories.

It was entertaining at first, reliving their days together, seeing her workplace persona and drunken side that she never brought home. Then it became unsettling as her sister's recollections abruptly dropped away and became another's. It seemed as if it were by Frankenstein's hand that the memories were so crudely stitched together; the flow clipped short at one place and attached to a separate one. Shinobu had seen her sister living another life with other people, another family. Was it some sort of past life? Did everyone possess such memories? The gnawing curiosity returned, amplified with anxiety. The high schooler had used her powers on animals and classmates the next day, but each of their memories were their own. It had only happened with her sister…..

Nosing through the woman's "past life" had made Shinobu aware of so many feelings she had never before experienced – jealousy and envy for having her, but not being able to have all of her, and a horror that stemmed from the fear of being abandoned for her sister's past family.

The high schooler bitterly hated everyone her sister seemed to have loved in her "past life," especially the man with whom she seemed so inexplicably infatuated. He was a man that had made her sister angry countless times and had pushed her to tears half as many. Her heart had hardened against him upon seeing him. However, more than all his transgressions against her sister, he had been the reason why Shinobu saw a beautiful smile light her sister's face; something that she herself had yet to witness in the waking world. Shinobu's heart further hardened against such a hateful man.

After that night her sister had begun to act strangely. She had dug up an old wallet and worn shawl that had somehow survived the fire. The ratty wallet was kept on her nightstand while she slept, and she mended the shawl to look more presentable. There had been many instances in which she would forget where she was and who Shinobu was. The confusion and the loss of her memories had concerned the high schooler and broke her heart. Her sister had begun to wander around in her bemusement, increasing the worry she felt.

The first few times it had happened, Shinobu had found her wandering the streets of their neighborhood, lost, clutching to the wallet and wearing the shawl like a scarf. She would get further and further away each time. She had been close to the train station the last time she had found her, and Shinobu's heart had nearly stopped at the thought of losing her sister on a train packed with people, buried under countless other emanations. Upon her sister's retrieval, she had noticed that the woman's body would be mottled with various cuts and bruises, so Shinobu had taken her to a doctor like the good little sister that she was. Her sister had been prescribed sedatives. The doctor had also encouraged Shinobu to frequently speak with her sister, remind her of who she was, so she had done just that. She had given her sister two pills each evening and would reminisce with her before bed and while they breakfasted. She would bring up a memory in her mind's eye and try to convey it to her as best as she could.

This method had worked at first. Her sister had calmed enough that they had been able to leave Yokohama without the high schooler having to worry about her wandering off. They had been halfway into the bottle when Shinobu had stopped giving her sister the pills and shoved them to the back of a kitchen drawer. Instead, she had simply continued to talk with her sister every morning and evening about their pasts – who they both were, and how much she adored her. It had been so nice seeing her sister's smile, to have helped alleviate her of her affliction.

A week later, her sister had started sleep-talking. Sleepwalking had come after the third week, and her limbs were once again peppered with small injuries. With tears in her eyes and emotion coloring her voice, Shinobu had successfully helped her sister call in for an extended sick-leave from work. The high schooler had locked the doors and windows from that point on – at night and when she left for school. She had taken her sister's keys and usually kept the ill woman confined to her bedroom for her own protection.

The stress of keeping her sister safe and by her side had been draining, still was, but she had been sure that it was only a matter of time until she recovered. By the end of the month, furniture had begun to move around, lights flickered, trinkets would be broken or go missing, and the high schooler had found papers strewn about her sister's room. Each line had been filled with hasty scribbles of the same, disturbing statement.

That when things had slowly begun to spiral out of control – chairs moved, cups broke, and the house rattled. Shinobu had consulted her old reference books about the paranormal and had posted on the parapsychology forums that she frequented. She did not know how to deal with the supernatural outside of herself. She had searched for exorcists, but had been directed to the scammers she had found back in middle school.

Desperate, the high schooler had taken her sister to Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and Christian churches, but she had no trouble stepping on any of the sacred grounds. On top of that, none of the various priests or priestesses hadn't sensed, or probably just couldn't sense, a spirit possessing her. More and more pages filled with those hasty, terrifying scribbles had turned up, and more and more things had been found either displaced or broken in the house.

When the forums had mentioned a certain famous professor making his one of his regular visits to Japan, she had swallowed her pride and registered for attendance at the university he was speaking. From what she knew of him, he was a hard-nosed man who would take more to incentive than persuasion, so that evening, Shinobu had fished out her sister's old pills and mixed some into her sister's nightly tea. While she slept, the high schooler dove into the woman's memories. In her most recent recollections, she saw her sister find the charred wallet in a locked box in their attic. She watched her open the raggedy thing to stare at a picture of two boys, identical in face and hair. Recognizing it, Shinobu had cut the connection and had immediately taken the barely intact wallet and glared at it, as if it were the source of all her grief.

Going to see Davis-hakase was the first time she had ever skipped class since elementary school, and she couldn't even pay attention. The buzzing in Shinobu's ears deafened her to the lecture, although her black eyes were pinned on the speaker.

Davis-hakase was pointlessly handsome for a man of his age and occupation, and she was surprised at the lack of lady-admirers there were in attendance. Little about him had changed in the past five years, from what she could see. How her sister had fallen in love with him years ago was a mystery to her. She brought a notebook and pen but took no notes, too fixated on the man who had probably forgotten all about her sister. At the end of his lecture, the high schooler clapped out of courtesy but was the only one not to stand. She watched as people left the auditorium, watched as they approached him with questions. She felt glued to her chair. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her sister and stir up any sort of unnecessary drama at her house, but he was the only person who could help her, and she was desperately desperate.

As the room emptied and he began tidying up, she stood and went down the stairs to speak with him. Getting a closer look at him, his unreasonable handsomeness winded her. Black hair was slicked back to show off his intelligent-looking forehead. The black-rimmed rectangular glasses perched on his nose complimented his facial shape and did nothing to curb the intensity of his eyes. His face resembled that of a marble carving – beautiful, unmoving. He was taller and more broad-shouldered than her sister remembered and wore a bespoke black suit of costly material. A steel-faced watch with a black leather band wrapped around his left wrist, glinting handsomely in the harsh auditorium lights.

"Do you need something?"

She gave a quick bow. "Yamasaka. Yamasaka, Shinobu. I'm an… avid reader of your books, Davis-hakase," she worded herself carefully as she pulled said texts from her bag.

The professor held up a hand and frowned. "I don't give autographs."

Shinobu glared at him. "I don't want an autograph." She put the books away. "I want help. Actually, I _need_ it." The professor said nothing; he ignored her and continued packing. She began pleading, "Onee-san's been acting strange lately, and none of the doctors seem to know why." Panic threw itself against the cage of her ribs as she noticed there was nothing left for him to put away. "I can pay you!" she insisted.

At this, he turned to her, the frown still firmly on his face. With his hands clasped behind his back, he shook his head slowly, condescendingly, as he talked down to her, "If you've read the forewords of my more recent publications, then you'll know that I'm not in that business anymore. I suggest you find someone else. Besides," – the smirk he gave her was decidedly unpleasant – "even if I were still working in such a field, you wouldn't be able to afford me." The spiteful curve in his lip fell, and that dispassionate frown was back on his disgustingly beautiful face. "I come to Japan for a specific reason, and I cannot afford to waste my time here with you, so I'm afraid this is good-bye."

Shinobu slammed her hands down on the desk in front of his bag and leaned forward to look deeply into his eyes. The boom rung out, occupying the silence and masking the sound of silent shuffling. "I will never know what she saw in you," she hissed lowly, vaguely. She stared him down and fell back first with a scowl, dragging her sticky fingers back to her side and behind her back. The high schooler climbed the carpeted stairs, but paused when she heard the quiet zip of his bag. She turned around with a mean-spirited smirk of her own. "Oh, and one more thing, Hakase" – his expensive oxfords clicked as he started towards the exit on the ground floor, ignoring her – "since you don't seem to want to help me, I'll just be borrowing some of your notes!"

He stopped. Davis-hakase stiffly turned to face her. When he saw the unlabeled binder she waved around, he gave a glare so penetratingly hateful that not even with the considerable distance between them could stop the chill buzzing down from the top of her skull to the tips of her toenails. However, she refused him the satisfaction of seeing her reaction and ignored the urge to drop the binder and flee back home.

"I'm sure there's something in here that'll be of use," she stated as she flipped open the cover. She was bluffing of course, she had no idea what was inside the binder, but from his reaction, it must have been something important. Perhaps research on some scientific breakthrough of his? The title page was blank and obviously had nothing to tell her. Her brow furrowed as she turned another page. Blank – there was no table of contents either…. Shinobu turned another page and stopped. Finally, she found something! It was a copy of a newspaper clipping that had been thoroughly examined if the lines, circles, and annotations had anything to say about it

 _ **LOCAL HERO, TANIYAMA MAI  
**_ _ **19XX/06/03-20XX/01/19**_

 _Taniyama Mai, 18, lost her life to a fire that consumed_ _a house  
in which she was a guest. She helped the Satous to escape __from  
their burning house, and even returned inside for a trapped __family  
member. Taniyama Mai was an orphan, but Satou Daichi, her __ass-  
ociate and the homeowner, identified her body at the hospital and  
_ _hailed her as his family's hero. Due to the condition of Taniyama Mai's  
_ _body and her unfortunate familial circumstance, neither a wake nor a  
_ _formal funeral were held. However, to show his gratitude, Satou Daichi  
_ _covered the cost of her cremation and helped to have her ashes interred  
_ _in her beside her mother and father, who are undoubtedly proud of what  
_ _she had accomplished, the lives she had saved in exchange for her own._

The smirk on her face fell when she saw the picture attached to the obituary. Her eyes widened, "W… What?" She flipped through more pages. More notes, copies of official documents, pictures of familiar faces… the blood drained from her face. _Oh, god… is Davis-Hakase stalki–?_

"Return it."

The deep, almost menacing, voice broke Shinobu out of her horrified reverie, and she snapped the binder closed. He had put his bag back on the desk in anticipation of having the stolen item returned to him. She childishly hid the binder behind her back to hide her shaking fingers and quelled the trembling of her lips with a large and mocking grin. "What's that? You're offering to help me at no charge? Well, Hakase, I must say that this is a wonderful surprise."

He adjusted his glasses before reiterating his demand, "You _will_ return those papers." The room literally vibrated with tension, and the air echoed with the rattling of the chairs and fold-out desk tops. None of it scared her. She was more shaken by the binder in her hands. The high schooler scoffed through her nose as she looked down at him from her superior height on the stairs. "You have no idea with whom you are messing, little girl," he warned, practically threatening her.

Desperation drove people mad. Shinobu knew this well; she had read about it both in fiction and non-fiction books. It seemed that she was becoming more and more unhinged herself because, although she knew what this man was capable of, she did not see him as a threat, just as a means to an end. His rejection had cornered her further in her desperation, and her kindness and patience had deserted her. She needed his help; her sister needed his help. She had no qualms if she had to play a bit dirty. "Oh, I know exactly who you are, which puts you at quite the disadvantage… _Naru_." The room dropped several degrees, and she could see her breath, but she still stood un-phased – impressed, but un-phased.

"How—?"

"Tell you what," she cut him off impatiently, "since I got such interesting _notes_ from you, I'll give you something in return, something you lost a long time ago." She opened her bag and pulled out the burnt wallet. "Here, my sister and I don't need the thing you put in there. In fact, keep the whole wallet since it doesn't belong to anyone in _my family_." The high schooler threw it down to him and was not surprised when he was completely unresponsive. She waved the binder around once more. "This should provide more than enough incentive, if I've read your reaction correctly. Safe to assume that I'll be expecting you within a few days, yes?" she spoke confidently, turning around and waving a careless hand. Shinobu tossed one more smirk over her shoulder. "Now… _this_ is good-bye, Hakase," she mocked his earlier, premature parting words and left the freezing auditorium with a hop and a cheery hum.

* * *

There were no words that Dr. Oliver Davis could use to express himself in that moment. That binder was the complete accumulation of his investigation on Mai. All of his findings, his case notes, and his research were in that binder. Losing it dealt him with an indescribable feeling. _At least I know the details of this theft,_ he thought scornfully. He had but the original and usually kept it safe-guarded at all times, lest someone find it and try and have him committed, but his plan backfired.

Oliver was probably the only person in who believed that Taniyama Mai was still very much alive. The researcher had been able to follow her trail to Aomori Hospital, but without access to their records, he was shown her death certificate and the door. By then, everyone had been emotionally exhausted, and getting an official confirmation on Mai's death basically sealed the deal in his team's minds. They had quietly accepted what they had been told, although he had tried to convince the idiots otherwise.

But the grief had been so fresh, so deep, that they had not, could not, believe him, not even Lin. Their sorrow had evolved into acceptance, and they had tried to convince him to follow suit. He had quietly raged at their surrender, their self-emancipation from Mai's case. Oliver had announced the closure of the Japanese SPR office; there was no longer a need for it. He had thanked them all for their services, but told them to never contact him again. His relationship with Lin had become strained, to say the least.

Anticipating his return to Cambridge, he had gone to Mai's apartment to try and salvage her things before they were thrown out. The landlady had given him access to her room with a somber face. She had been familiar enough of Mai's circumstances enough to know that no one else would come to collect the girl's belongings, and she wasn't so cruel as to sell the possessions of a dead girl.

He remembered little of her apartment, only being able to clearly recall her nightstand. On it, he had found the picture he had given her framed nicely beside another, more ornate frame that housed an old photo of her late parents. He had posted the boxes back to his home in Cambridge and set everything of hers in Gene's old room for safekeeping. His brother wouldn't have minded and would've probably preferred that there was some use coming from his old living space. Gene had been annoying like that.

Working as a paranormal investigator under his parents had given Oliver little freedom and little power. He enrolled in university to earn a traditional degree. Four semesters and two summers saw him with a bachelor's degree, another year yielded to him a master's. He already had his honorary doctorate and was beyond the age to take on his professorship by that time. Oliver had used his newly acquired affluence to gain access to the patient files at Aomori Hospital under a few false pretenses. There were thousands to search through, but he had one major lead on the case: Satou Daichi. With that, the thousands reduced to hundreds, which unfortunately still required hours of dedicated manpower.

The hospital had also only allowed him access to their files with his physical presence at their authorized computers. The researcher could not check their records in England, and he could not go to the hospital with Lin for obvious reasons. He required more time in Japan than was given under the watchful eyes of Luella and Martin. It was when he had offered to speak at a seminar in Japan, did the news spread: the reclusive Dr. Oliver Davis had voluntarily reached out.

The invitations to speak, teach, and demonstrate in Japan had flooded in. He had and continued to refuse anything long-term, lest he risk his parents hunting him down and dragging him back to lock him up, and stuck to guest lecturing, conventions, and other events of the like. Oliver always visited Aomori Hospital, but, so as to not arouse any suspicion, he never stayed for more than an hour each time. Unfortunately, with each leave, with each interruption, came another entry or a file update. The limited time he had allotted for himself sometimes gave way to the risk of system updates, wasting precious opportunities of research. Regardless, through this process, he had steadily made some headway, adding more and more pages to his binder, and yet he had felt stationary. He had spent years progressing in the right direction while uncertain of the distance.

It was purgatorial.

Oliver restrained himself from throwing his bag at the door and screaming until he coughed blood. It was far too undignified and would be uncharacteristic of him. Instead, he set his glasses on his desk and rubbed at his eyes. He breathed, deep and heavy, in his attempts to regain his calm. Spotting what the girl had thrown at him, he bent down to it. He suppressed the urge to throw the ratty wallet away and undid the button that held it closed. He only caught a glance of its contents before dropping it in shock. Mai's student ID was inside; the plastic cover was slightly charred and melted into the card. He quickly picked it back up and checked through it all. Her student ID was still there, a Suica card, and...

If the researcher were anyone else, his hand would have trembled as he wiped the old ash from the plastic protecting a wallet-sized photograph. She had copied and resized the picture he had given her of him and Gene as children. Of course she had made a copy; Mai had always been a sentimental idiot. On the other side of the flap was a copy of the picture of her parents he saw on her bedside table. He checked the rest of the wallet; there were two pockets for loose change. One actually held coins, while the other had nothing but an old key. _Didn't Mai once say that she had a "lucky key," or something of the like?_ Oliver rifled through the cash pocket and found a square of paper next to some banknotes. Yamasaka Shinobu's name, address, and phone number was on the paper when he unfolded it, and he committed them to memory. His eyes concentrated on the short message: _My sister is being possessed. Just bring the most suitable exorcist._

It was an effort to restrain himself. The temptation to give in and see through the wallet was real and present, the false promises a seductive taunt. But he didn't know what would happen with everything inside the wallet – the pictures, the key, the ID; the money itself could prove to be a nightmare. The thought of emptying the wallet crossed his mind, but he didn't pursue it. Judging by the ash still adhering to most of its surface, the wallet probably hadn't been used since the fire. He could assume that the thing probably wouldn't provide any information he didn't already know. But wasn't it worth a try? Did the benefit outweigh the risk?

His inner war jerked him in all different directions. In the background, he heard the opening and closing of the room's doors. _"Oliver?"_ The researcher was still breathing deeply, loudly, when Lin approached. His assistant, really still more of a keeper, sped over to him and took hold of his shoulder. _"Oliver? What's wrong? What happened here?"_ he asked in English, referring to the cold inside the auditorium.

Oliver shook his head, and his breath finally evened out and quieted. His head bent forwards, as if the weight of his thoughts were suddenly too much for his neck to bear, and he gave a low chuckle. _"What happened? I found a lead, a fresh lead that will take me directly Mai."_ The corners of his lips twitched, like he wanted to smile, but the stretch never made it quite far enough. He looked as if he were grimacing.

Lin's hand fell away from Oliver's shoulder. The assistant didn't know whether or not he could be believed, and he honestly leaned towards the negative. The years without Mai had been turbulent and ungracious towards the researcher's mental and social health, especially after he had, quite aggressively, burned all bridges between himself and their former teammates upon her death. Where Eugene could now be remembered fondly, Mai was still a touchy subject, and Oliver's parents knew to never bring her up. None of his current associates even knew of her.

The assistant remembered when they had gone to Aomori Hospital, and the researcher had claimed that her traces had all but vanished there, or, in his words, "was buried under the countless emanations brought about by the high traffic that the hospital faced." Still, the dead end hadn't stopped him. He had been, and still was, just as determined to find her as he had been to find Eugene, if not more due his enduring belief in her survival. Lin himself had accepted the loss, mourned, and moved on years ago like the others. Because of this, it was difficult seeing the researcher so dogged, so hard-headed about the matter, and Lin worried about how he would react when he finally accepted the truth.

 _Still,_ he thought, _if Oliver says he's found her, why not humor him? Perhaps it'll help him to properly come to terms, at long last._ Dr. Oliver Davis was still considered a genius and a man of many talents, but he was not known to change stances without proper evidence to convince him of his error. Lin pulled out his phone as he asked, _"Should we notify the others?"_

Oliver's head shot up, his glare piercing. Lin swore that the room's temperature just dropped another centigrade or two. _"No,"_ he nearly spat.

" _But-"_

" _Absolutely not."_ He stood up straight this time. Oliver hid Mai's wallet in his bag and held tight to Yamasaka Shinobu's note. _"Taniyama Mai is dead to them. They have no right to this case,"_ he stated firmly. Oliver slid his glasses back onto his face and pulled out his phone. An exasperated sigh rushed out through his nose when he saw that he only had one bar in the auditorium. _"I'm leaving."_

The volatility in his emotions was stunning. There was so little and yet so much happening that Lin could only ask dumbly, _"Where to?"_

Oliver made his way to the exit. He had already begun to punch in the numbers he had memorized just minutes before. _"To a place with decent reception. I have a call to make."_

* * *

She spent the ride home flipping through his binder. Fear welled inside her with every turned page. She had to stop reading about a quarter into the text, unable to stomach everything inside. The contents inside it greatly disturbed her, and she almost regretted her little theft. _Why didn't I try for the watch? It had the same name on it that Ojii-san's watches all had, so it must be expensive._ The reasoning was there, but she knew that the watch probably wouldn't have garnered as big of a reaction from him as the bind _e_ r had. Shinobu put the binder on her desk, not wanting to touch it any longer than needed.

It was about ten minutes since she had gotten home that Davis-hakase's call came in, hardly even an hour after their little "chat". When she picked up her phone, there was no greeting, no introduction, just an impolite and brusque, "Your case has been accepted at no charge. Expect us tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, sharp. Have two empty rooms prepared, and inform your electric provider of a surge in usage for the days we are there." Before she could even take a breath, he hung up. His bad manners annoyed her, but she swallowed her ire. She hoped the exorcism would take one day at the most.

The next day, a large, black van pulled up beside the front gate. Shinobu felt no small amount of triumph at the sight, but it was tempered with apprehension. The fear chilling her blood had nothing to do with the haunting and everything to do with the professor. If she had conducted her research properly, and the high schooler definitely believed that she had, then Davis-hakase shared her ability and was capable of even _more_. The high schooler wasn't excited to invite him into her home, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and if the precautionary measures she had taken before Davis-hakase's arrival counted for anything, it was proof enough of her desperation.

Shinobu just hoped that her sister would just stay asleep all through the exorcism. The high schooler pushed the woman's bangs into her closed eyes, and put a surgical mask on her, so that the bottom half of her face was covered. It was from her sister's bedroom window that she saw the researcher leave the van with another, taller man. It seemed that the good professor was taking his sweet time opening the gate, and his just-as-dark companion did nothing to prompt him forward. They slowly came to the front door, and he splayed his hand over the heavy wood. Shinobu hadn't felt the scowl on her face until it deepened at the corners. She didn't know how much information he would be able to leech from her current home, but she was more comfortable with less than more.

Her life didn't need the interference of a ghost from her sister's past life.

Shinobu needed her big sister the most. She didn't care what anything or anyone else told her. However, these people, this _man_ , could pose a serious problem if they, if _he_ , saw her. She closed the window and drew the powder-blue curtains closed. Leaving the bedroom, she locked the door behind her and tested it with a satisfied nod. She tucked the key safely into the breast pocket of her dress. The high schooler practically flew down the stairs. Her short braid flew up behind her in her rush to open the front door. The frown on her face was replaced with a congenial smile as she reluctantly welcomed the irritating man and his companion into her home, "Thank you for coming, Hakase. I see you've brought someone. Will he be performing the exorcism?"

The professor was not a warm man by any means, but the look he gave her frosted the morning dew. "Where is Taniyama Mai?"

If Shinobu had been anyone else, she would have cowered, especially considering the menacing-looking man standing behind him. However, she was no stranger to either the paranormal or strong-arm tactics; she would not budge. The high schooler pouted and shook her head. "Haven't seen her, so I don't know. Like I said on the phone: it's just me and Onee-san in this house." The smile jumped back onto her face, and she opened the door wider. "Please, come in. I will go and prepare tea and snacks for you and your companion while you wait in the living room."

Davis-hakase held up a condescending hand. His face was perfectly blank. "No. You will show us to the empty room that I requested. After that, we will collect data and fit your house with cameras and microphones in each room with the exception of the toilet and bath," he commanded.

The pleasant smile on Shinobu's face shook at the corners as she tamed her scowl. She spoke in a measured tone, attempting to maintain civility, "But I've already told you Onee-san is being possessed. Any further investigation isn't required. We just need an exorcism."

Davis-hakase's face was still expressionless, but she felt that his dark eyes were laughing at her in the way that they were narrowed from behind his glasses. "You came to me, Yamasaka-san. If you want my help, then I will be operating under my own terms. You should have known that this is how I used to conduct myself if you are indeed such an 'avid reader' of mine."

It was a bluff, of course. She knew that if he had expected to hit such an obstacle as this, he would not have accepted the case without proper incentive. The fact that he was standing at her door, was proof enough that he wanted to take her sister's case. However, she also knew that he was manipulative, as evidenced by his empty ultimatum. If the high schooler denied him this, he would try to pull something else, like overstay his already unwelcome welcome.

"Fine," Shinobu spat. The smile had fallen from her face, and she was glaring at him quite unhindered now.

He did not revel in his victory as she had expected, but simply nodded to the taller man who took his cue to return to the van. He removed his fine shoes and set them neatly to the side before stepping into a pair of guest slippers that went unused for the most part. Shinobu was surprised that he had the base etiquette to change his shoes. The professor turned back to her, the laughter gone from his eyes. "Lead the way."

"But-"

"Lin is only retrieving the equipment. He will be joining us soon." He looked down at her from his nose. "I really am beginning to doubt the supposed ardor you proclaimed to have felt about my books, Yamasaka Shinobu." He stared her down as he took a step deeper into the house. "Lead the way," the way he over enunciated each syllable with his reiteration was infuriatingly condescending. However, she said nothing and turned on her heel. Though she could need see him, she could hear his steps lagging behind hers, and the high schooler knew he was collecting information. Everything in the house had a memory, held some sort of emanation, and Shinobu wished that the man she hired was less competent. She took him to the guest bedroom on the ground floor, the farthest room from her sister's.

She waited for him before opening the door. He stepped in without a single ounce of politeness and looked around with a quick flicker of his eyes and an adjustment of his glasses. "This is sufficient," he said in a tone that did nothing to reflect his apparent approval.

A tense silence followed as they both stood in the room, staring at each other. Shinobu did not like him, and she was suspicious of his actions. Nevertheless, her sister had taught her how to receive guests properly, and she was aware of how inhospitable she was being. She looked away, towards the door, and recalled her manners. The high schooler cleared her throat uncomfortably before asking, "Ah… Can I get you anything?"

"Tea."


	3. Chapter 2: Their Dogged Pursuit

A/N: SO IT HAS BEGUN! We're going to get into the thick of the mystery this chapter, and you'll probably be hit with more questions than answers. I tried my best, but Naru still might come off as a bit OOC for some of you guys. In my defense, he's going through an immensely emotional time with a build-up of five year's. I hate that it sounds like an excuse, because it is, and I HAAAAAATE making excuses. If you feel his actions are out of character, then I apologize, but the reaction I wrote felt fitting from my standpoint. And I apologize if the "scribblings" look weird. I wanted the Japanese to come through, but I was afraid some people wouldn't be able to see it, so I wrote it out in English beside it as a precaution. I would also like to apologize for not responding to the criticisms and questions from the prologue in chapter 1, so I'll be addressing the prologue and chapter 1's reviews here.

 **To my reviewers** :

 **LadyHawke361** , yes, Lin was a bit out of character in the prologue. He assumed a more verbal and emotional role due to his circumstances. Grief affects everyone differently, especially when you take its source into consideration (Mai's obituary). It's been about two years of since Mai broke his arm and changed his perception of her. I felt she was worth some shock towards Lin by the time the prologue takes place. Shinobu truly believes the woman living with her to be her older sister. However, she has lived through a great emotional trauma with that house fire, so some things might be mis-remembered. ;)

 **RinAmane0913** , I'll definitely try to pump out the chapters at least once a week or biweekly. Work sometimes exhausts me to the point where I just clock-out, eat dinner, shower, and pass-out. (sobs) I'm so weak….

 **Deeceekitty** , thank you for taking interest. I had been wondering for some time now how a story would play out with the usual scenario reversed. Glad to see I caught your eye!

 **Shunakoo25** , Yamasaka Shinobu is a third-year student attending a senior high school in Yokohama, of which she is student council president. She is in line to inherit her late grandfather's luxury tea brand, should she pursue such a career path. Trauma and denial are powerful forces, especially combined and can bear fruit to self-deception. I assure you that there are _not_ any doppelgangers or surprise twins, so those _Ghost Hunt_ BINGO spaces will stay empty, sadly.

* * *

 **Chapter 2:  
** **Their Dogged Pursuit**

Shinobu watched the stove's fire flicker. "Tea," she mimicked in a mockingly low voice, then sniffed indignantly. "Would it have killed him to add a 'please'?" she asked the cabinet of tins and boxes with a quirked brow. _I wonder which one I should brew. He doesn't seem one for fruit tea, so that'd be my first choice… but Onee-san might get mad at me for wasting one of her teabags._ The high schooler herself didn't much drink fruit tea. It felt somewhat wrong with their upbringing, so it was surprising when she had found a box of it on their shelf one day.

The two sisters had a vast collection of tea between the both of them, almost all of high quality, loose leaf, and a single brand – their family's brand, well, _formerly…_ for now. Her sister hadn't wanted to inherit the company, so her grandfather had had a temporary successor from one of his employees waiting in the wings until Shinobu graduated and decided if she would want to assume the mantle, so to speak.

Aware that the high schooler inherited Satou Daichi's enthusiasm for tea, and knowing her to be near his level of brewing technique and appreciation, the generous older gentleman her grandfather had chosen would visit with a new blend every now and again to have her help him sample it. He didn't trust the secretaries to bring out its true flavors, and, ironically enough, he could never brew a single decent cup himself. He was a kind man who admired her grandfather and had many fond work stories to share, but bringing him up always brought tears to his eyes.

He had been just as shocked at her when he had spotted the colorful boxes printed with various fruits that her sister had bought. Their English labels were as conspicuous as the bright red berries on them, especially against the uniformly colored and patterned cylindrical canisters stamped with their family's brand in flowing sousho. He had laughed it off and recollected that when someone had once proposed that they incorporate fruit blends to her grandfather, the poor employee had gotten an impassioned and horrendously long-winded lecture of how they needed to keep the tradition alive, especially with all the gimmicky teas out there nowadays.

Her sister had stepped in after overhearing them. They had thought she would've been upset, but she laughed it off. When he had asked why she had purchased such tea, she had said that it was nostalgic. Looking back, it had been an odd thing for her to say, considering that their grandfather had been strict in the belief that they should only drink Japanese tea, preferably of their own brand. Theirs was a proud lineage of high-quality distributors in Japan. He refused to let them drink anything western-styled. The fruit tea that her sister was obsessed with probably had him rolling in his grave.

 _No, we never drank fruit tea before the fire._ Shinobu's eyes glazed over as she felt a cloying heat on her face. Sweat beaded down her forehead, and she heard the loud sirens of the waiting ambulance. _It's something I never thought about until now. How did I never notice this? I mean, fruit tea is popular now, but not to the point where someone like my sister would drink it as often as she does. When did she even begin drinking fruit tea?_

Anxiety tightened her chest as the siren became louder in her ears. It whined louder, shriller, until it no longer sounded like a siren, but a scream. Shinobu snapped out of her trance and sucked in a deep breath, then coughed at the harshness of the intake mixed with the steam invading her lungs. She shook her head to dispel the sound of the ambulance, but the noise continued to flood the kitchen.

Her eyes frantically darted around the kitchen until they settled on the source of the very real noise. Shinobu closed the flame and leaned over the counter. She coughed into the crook of her elbow and heaved for breath, feeling light-headed from the effort. She shakily stuck a digital thermometer in the kettle and fetched herself a cup of water. A sigh flew from her lips at the relief, and she turned back to the kettle, watching as the numbers settled on a blinking 110 C.

She angrily smacked her cup against the counter. Her tongue clicked in annoyance as she set the thermometer to notify her at 85 C. _Damn, it's too hot. I should've paid more attention. I probably could have even gone back to that room by now to make sure those two aren't poking around where they shouldn't be._ She fetched a canister of their cheapest kabuse-cha, which to her misfortune was still of high quality, and their plainest teapot. She was tempted to just pour some cold water into the kettle to hasten the cooling, but the proper brewing etiquette that her grandfather drilled into her directed her movements against her will and disallowed her such an action.

Shinobu set out a wooden tray and put the teapot and two matching cups onto it, pouring some water into the three and swirling it around to warm them. She would have set a small dish of senbei or chilled and cut yokan alongside them if she had actually liked her guests, but she didn't, so she didn't. Once the thermometer beeped Shinobu set to work. With some quick movements spurred by muscle memory, she was soon tapping her nails impatiently against the counter top as she stared at her watch. Not a second sooner or later than three minutes exactly did Shinobu remove the strainer of leaves and pour tea into the cups.

The high schooler rushed as fast as she could, without spilling it all over the tray, to where the professor would be setting up base. For some reason, she had been expecting to find him standing in the exact same spot where she had left him. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of his tall companion, Lin, Davis-hakase mentioned his name was, setting up shelves upon shelves of equipment. Something seized in her chest, and the blood drained from her face. "W-Where is he?" She set the tray down on a nearby table before her numbing fingers failed her. Lin-san turned to face her. One eye was hidden behind a long curtain of bangs; the other was giving her a scrutinizing look. "Where is Davis-hakase?" she tried again.

"Collecting data."

Shinobu dashed out the door and straight up to her sister's room. Relief flooded her when she found that the door was still locked. She tried her own bedroom, the other guest rooms, the bathrooms, and the kitchen, but the irritating man continued unseen. She sat down on the veranda in the backyard and let out a long sigh. Where was he? The house was nowhere near as big as he was making it feel at the moment. She closed her eyes and leaned back on her hands. She wondered what time it was. It felt like the day was nearing its end, but it had probably only been an hour or two. An exaggerated thought, she knew, but she was sure that it was the fault of the compounding stress.

The air was quiet, save for the rustling of the leaves and the wind blowing into her ears. If she listened closely enough, she could hear the port – ship bells and whistles, the splashing waves of the water, and… the flapping of cloth? _It's too far to hear any sails._ Her eyes remained closed as her brow wrinkled in confusion. _We did laundry yesterday._ Where was it coming from? The sound was close. _Maybe one of the neighbors?_ Shinobu opened her eyes and sluggishly stood. They had neighbors on either side of the house. She peeked over the left fence, then the right. None of the yards had any clothes or futons drying out. _So where…?_

The breeze settled down, and everything fell silent. She sat back on the veranda and waited. Seconds ticked by, then a minute, then five. The wind picked up again and so did the sound of cloth. This time it was accompanied with soft murmurs. _Was someone talking before, too?_ It was all coming from… above? Shinobu stood back up and stepped into the yard. All the windows on this side of the house were closed, but she could still hear the light voice. She passed through the house and out the front door. No one was in the front yard or at the gate, but the familiar voice was louder, so she at least knew she was somewhat closer. She looked up and spotted powder blue curtains dancing in the air, almost blending into the clear sky. The distant sound of _two_ voices came from the window this time. A full and feminine stream of laughter followed.

Shinobu ran back inside the house. When she had locked her sister in her room earlier, she had made sure that the window was shut, like always, and she was the only person who had the keys to the house. How was her sister already awake? Were the sedatives not as strong, too old? Why was her sister talking? _Or, rather,_ Shinobu thought, _who's up there with Onee-san? And, more importantly, what's making her laugh like that?_ The teen bristled with envy. Her sister had never sounded that happy around her.

* * *

Oliver has always been patient for the most part, but knowing that Mai was somewhere in this house after those long five years really wore on him. He began to explore the house while the high school girl went to make tea. He went upstairs and began looking into each room, recording the size and temperature as he went, and quickly met with a locked door. _Why?_ The researcher pressed his ear to it and was able to hear soft breathing on the other side. He dragged a careful finger against the sturdy wood, just enough to catch a glimpse, and smirked. "I see," he muttered to himself. _Rather foolish of the girl to try and hide Mai from me inside the house_.

He examined the lock and saw that it was fitted into the knob and not into a keyhole below it, like older western-style houses usually were. Oliver rested a hand on the brass knob and concentrated. He envisioned a rotating lock on the other side, and in his mind's eye he turned it with a quick flick. The knob in his hand rattled, and he heard the click of the tumblers. With a confident twist of his wrist, Oliver opened the door and stepped into the room, locking the door behind him.

The walls were a soft and pale yellow that complemented the cream carpet. There was a wooden shelf full of books and nick-knacks on his right, with a matching desk and chair to his left. Straight ahead of him was a modest bed with powder blue covers that matched the hanging curtains to its upper-left side. A light green scarf of sorts hung down from over the outer bedpost at the head of the bed. A sizable lump hid under the duvet. As he got closer, he was able to take her in. Her body was so much more slender than he remembered. Perhaps it was due to the dimness of the room or the age of his memories that he thought such. _No matter._ He placed his clipboard and pen on her nightstand before clenching and unclenching his hands. They shook as his eyes continued to rove over her

She had let her hair grow. It looked good on her, but it did not suit her personality. A surgical mask hid the bottom of her face from him. Was she ill? _How unusual for someone to sleep with a mask on, sick or no._ Getting closer, Oliver could hear her deep pulls of air. The mask was probably making breathing difficult. He bent down and reached for her face but stopped when he heard thunderous footsteps rampaging up the wooden stairs, most likely Yamasaka Shinobu. He held himself completely still, quieting his breath and stilling his fingers at the edge of the mask. He heard the jiggling of the knob behind him, and his head turned ever so slightly to peer back at the door. He heard a muffled sigh and retreating steps. The creaking hinges of nearby doors followed. It was obvious that she just wanted to make sure that the door was locked. It was almost offensive how much this girl was underestimating him.

With the distraction gone, he removed the surgical mask with an uncharacteristic gentleness. Time slowed to a snail's pace as his shaking fingers pushed the messy bangs away from her closed eyes as he gazed fully upon her face. Oliver felt his heart stop as five years' worth of searching finally came to fruition. He folded his glasses and slipped them into the breast pocket of his jacket. The researcher rubbed at his eyes, as if he were disbelieving of his sight or fearing the lenses were feeding him lies. Sure enough, she was still there after his vision cleared.

"Mai…"

He dropped the mask on the nightstand and placed his hands on both sides of her face as he took a closer look. The sluggish pace he had taken before in his confidence was now replaced with an urgent feeling to reacquaint himself with her. Round cheeks had lost their baby fat, her jaw was more angular, and her eyebrows manicured and neat. Her lips were moist from the mask, but her face was sickly pale, and there were rings under her eyes. The skin left uncovered by the mask was dry, and he found a small bump near her left temple, mostly covered by her hair. When he pulled back the covers, he found more healing bruises and a few scabbed cuts. Most of the injuries were concentrated around her arms, hands, and knees.

Sentiment grabbed hold of Oliver's body and bade its new puppet forward. He could only comply, pulling her up and cradling her against his chest. He tucked her head under his chin and took in her shoulder-length hair. His logic warred against him as he resisted the urge to probe her, to find the whole truth; he wasn't sure his body would be able to handle the strain of how far he was tempted to dig. He had already used his psychometric power in small spurts since he got out of the car, but he had not been able to piece together the whole story from just that.

He had, however, seen the dynamic between her and Yamasaka Shinobu, seen the odd wandering around, and heard the teenager deny their existence. Mai always seemed to calm down after Yamasaka Shinobu spoke to her. Clarity would leave her eyes, and her smile would become vacant and dreamy as her "little sister" talked her calm. She would always look a little less present each time. There was definitely something suspicious going on with these two, and it had nothing to do with a ghost. As he contemplated the factors, he could not help but to ask, "What happened to you, Mai?"

"Well, that's a new one…."

He started slightly, having not expected an answer. Oliver moved back a hint and peered down to see Mai staring up at him with those glassy eyes he saw in his visions. She put a hand up to her mouth to hide and muffle her dainty yawn. It was oddly ladylike and incredibly unlike her. "My name's been misread as 'Mami' before, but never 'Mai.'" Her giggle was light and trilling, an endearing sound to most, but it was so completely different than the full sound with which he had been accustomed. He didn't prefer it much. "Kanji must not be your strong suit." She smoothed out the bed sheets and wrote the phonetic pronunciation of her given name in flowing hiragana wrinkles: "A-sa-mi."

That done, she reached to take her shawl. She draped it across her shoulders and fanned at her face. "My, is it warm. Would you mind if I opened my window? Just enough to move the air." He didn't answer her, but he leaned over and slid the window open, not mentioning the fact that she had voluntarily worn another layer before commenting on the heat. Fresh air blew in and disturbed the powder blue curtains. Asami closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She sighed though her nose in a satisfied manner before quietly thanking him. When she opened her eyes again to peer up at him, the glassiness was still present. "So, who are you?" her voice was soft and her face oddly blank, "And why all the black?"

"Dr. Oliver Davis, a professor specializing in parapsychology," he introduced with an assessing look. "And I believe you should reassess your priorities."

Asami twisted her body around to face him more fully. The movement was lethargic, weighed down by Yamasaka Shinobu's attempt to "protect" her, but it was still silent and graceful. He had honestly half-expected her to get dizzy and collapse back onto the bed. He wondered if this change was brought about by her condition, her circumstance, or was it something she had unconsciously developed on her own? Oliver was pulled from his thoughts as she asked, "What makes you say that?" She tilted her head in a child-like manner. Her unfocused eyes were wide and trusting, but her face was still slack of emotion.

He shook his head. "You're absurdly calm for having just woken up to finding a stranger inside of your _locked_ bedroom"—he gave her sleepwear a meaningful look and quirked a brow–"in nothing but a… night gown." _But then again, it's not as if you're head's on completely straight after drinking that tea._

She tapped her chin with her finger and a vague smile stretched her face. "Well, if you're in here, then my sister must have let you in! Shinobu is very careful about visitors, so if she had let you in, that means that I can trust you!" Asami's complete trust in her so-called-sister appalled him. She had no idea what Yamasaka Shinobu had done to her, was doing to her, but she believed it when her "little sister" said that it was all for her own good, for her protection.

It was sickening.

Something cold lanced his chest, and antagonism bubbled in his stomach. Oliver grabbed her hand and yanked it from her face towards him. She was shocked into silence. However, where Mai would have fallen face-first into the bedding, Asami caught and steadied herself with her other hand; the shawl fell from her shoulders. It wasn't right. None of this was right. It wasn't supposed to be like this. _She_ wasn't supposed to be like this. This wasn't her. This wasn't _Mai_. The direction of his thoughts embittered his voice, "What makes you so sure about that?"

"Huh?"

"Your door was locked when I had arrived. Your sister invited me, yes, but she obviously did not trust _me_ with _you_. Maybe she thought that I would be a danger to you," the tone of his observation was oddly detached, considering how furious he was, "Yamasaka Shinobu is not my friend, and she certainly does not like or trust me. If she did, she would have told you why I'm here. She would have let me greet you when I first arrived allowed me to take your statement. Instead, she had you locked away, safe and sound and away from me." His grip tightened. "So tell me, _Asami_ ," her name was a cold hiss through his teeth, "how do you know if you'll be able to leave this room untouched?"

The air fell silent. The wind outside calmed, and the curtains swayed to a stop. He looked away, ashamed that he had lost his composure so quickly after seeing her again, regardless of how cathartic of an outburst it was. Perhaps it was from the years of pent-up stress with no one to provoke it out of him like Mai had always managed to do. Their reunion possessed too many variables that he hadn't thought to have considered before charging headfirst in her direction. _Aa… Looks like I picked up a bad habit of hers,_ he thought absently. Her ignorance of him, her unknowing adoption of a new identity, and her unwavering faith in that suspicious girl… it was too much to process all at once, even for him.

The wind picked back up, and it helped to cool his heated body. He released her hand, and she pulled away from him. Not surprising, considering the menace in his voice and the implications of his words. Oliver expected her to run away or slap him or both; instead, she laid her hand atop his. Shocked, his head swung back round so he could look at her. Again, reality fell short of his expectations as she stared at him with those big, glassy eyes and that absentminded smile. "You would never. You're far too good for that."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Where's your evidence?"

Asami closed her eyes and tapped her chin again. Her brows were furrowed and lips puckered in a contemplative manner. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes to stare up at the ceiling. "I don't know, but I can hear a small voice inside of me that is telling me so." Her dreamy smile returned as she placed both hands to the center of her chest. "It's telling me that you're a good person, and that I can trust you!" she explained childishly.

 _Mai had said something along those lines a long time ago…._ Oliver narrowed his eyes. "Sounds like you're going mad."

Asami nodded. "Shinobu definitely agrees with you there. She thinks that I've already headed about halfway down that road. She even took me to see a doctor!" She laughed, long and loud, throwing back her head with her mouth wide open; her eyes crinkled shut in mirth. The sight of her was a complete contrast to every previous sound and action she had made before. When she opened her eyes to look at him, gone was the glassy stare and vague smile that he had come to associate with Yamasaka Asami. Her dark eyes were clear and sober, and a wide smile lifted the corners of her mouth and showed off her teeth. "She means well," she concluded.

The sound of thunderous footfalls made the smile fall from her face. "She means well," she repeated in a more somber tone. There was shouting now, and Oliver could hardly summon any pity towards Lin. Asami stared into his eyes; the clarity in them made her look all the more serious. "This might just be another case for you. But, please"–she frowned and gazed at the door with a sad expression—"be gentle with her."

She turned to look back up at him. Tears lined her dark eyes. "I'm… I'm all she has left now…. She's just like us…." She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "You understand what I'm trying to say, right? How could you not? I mean, you _are_ a genius after all." A trembling chuckle tumbled from her lips.

Oliver's eyes widened as he listened to her. Was this Asami, or Mai? Asami should have no knowledge of him, but the woman had rejected his earlier claim that she was Mai. However, this did nothing to stop his presumptions. Her name fell from his lips once more, "Mai?"

The woman smiled, but she was still crying. "P-P-Please"—she hiccoughed—"be gentle with her," she requested once more. Her eyes slowly glazed over and with the receding focus came falling lids. "Don't let her… hurt… anymore…." The tears stopped flowing when her eyes closed. She fell into him, and her breathing evened out.

Oliver laid her down and tucked her in. He noticed the surgical mask and crumpled it up, intent on tossing it. A full rubbish bin sat next to her tidy desk. He shook his head with a small tug at the corner of his lips. _Typical._ He stepped closer and paused, a frown overtaking the slight upward quirk at his mouth. The bin was full of crumpled notebook paper. Alarms rioted in his head, and he dropped the mask on the desk. He dumped the bin onto the floor and straightened out all the papers.

He could not stop the scowl marring his beautiful face. Oliver bowed his pounding head and closed his eyes as fury beat at his breast. The anger was hot and righteous this time, instead of cold and detached. His hands clutched the carpet in a fist, careful not to touch the paper – his evidence. The sound of his blood and quickening heartbeat deafened him to the bedroom door being slammed open. He did not hear Yamasaka Shinobu yell at him and curse him, telling him that he was not allowed in this room.

His lungs burned with every breath he took, and when he opened his eyes, he could see his breath. The cold he'd created in his lost composure was bracing, and it helped to calm him. He removed his glasses from his breast pocket and slipped them back onto his face. He took one of the many papers he straightened out and stood.

The girl at the door was tapping her foot and glaring at him. Thin wisps of black hair had escaped her tight French braid and hung over her angrily flushed face. "Well, now that you're actually paying attention, let me ask again: what are you doing in here? The door was locked. And why is it so cold?" The frown on her face deepened when he continued to look at the mess behind him. "Answer me! You have a lot of explaining to do, Davis-hakase!"

Oliver's gaze finally shifted to hers, and he peered down at her from his nose, "Not as much as you." He held up the paper. "Tell me, Yamasaka Shinobu"—he gestured to the papers behind him with a genial smile that didn't quite reach his eyes—"when were you planning on telling me about these?"

 ** _山坂麻美じゃない_ (NOT YAMASAKA ASAMI)  
** ** _山坂麻美じゃない_ (NOT YAMASAKA ASAMI)  
** ** _山坂麻美じゃない_ (NOT YAMASAKA ASAMI)  
** ** _山坂麻美じゃない_ (NOT YAMASAKA ASAMI)  
** ** _山坂麻美じゃない_ (NOT YAMASAKA ASAMI)  
** ** _山坂麻美じゃない_ (NOT YAMASAKA ASAMI)  
** ** _山坂麻美じゃない_ (NOT YAMASAKA ASAMI)  
** ** _山坂麻美じゃない_ (NOT YAMASAKA ASAMI)** **  
**

He watched her, with no little amount of satisfaction, pale and shrink away from him and curl into herself. He took a step towards her, and his smile widened maliciously when she took a defensive step back. "Let's discuss these papers in the living room." The wind outside picked up again. The air coming in was crisp and chilly, but it was fresh and would do the sleeping woman more good than harm. The breeze blew the papers around, and a few brushed past Shinobu and escaped through the gaping doorway. A zephyr pushed at the temples of his glasses, and he steadied them with a finger to its bridge. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Yamasaka Shinobu."

* * *

They returned to the base and sat in front of the monitors. Only a few screens were on, but Lin-san had known to set up and turn on the first camera in her sister's room. Davis-hakase's dark eyes slid from the only active monitor to Shinobu. "So, Yamasaka, would you mind telling me what these papers are about?" he asked as he pulled out a few of her sister's crumpled up scribbles.

Shinobu had regained her composure on their walk back to the base; all traces of her earlier vulnerability successfully masked, wisps of loose hair combed back into place. She sat across from Davis-hakase with a ramrod-straight back, what little tail of a black braid she had tossed over her right shoulder, and looked him unflinchingly in the eyes. "It's proof of Onee-san's possession." She rolled her eyes at the obvious. "As a paranormal investigator, I would have thought that you could figure out such a small detail on your own."

Davis-hakase quirked a curious brow. "Proof of your sister's possession?"

"Of course," she continued, "Onee-san is Onee-san. I have never met or heard of the person claiming not to be her." Shinobu's eyes narrowed suspiciously upon his person. "You _will_ be able to exorcise whatever's possessing her, won't you?

The irritating man adjusted his glasses. "If she is in fact possessed, then, yes, I will. Even if she isn't, I will still find a way to help her. After speaking with your… sister," his tone held a doubtful note, as if he were only saying it to appease her, which he very well might have, "I have formed a proper hypothesis, and I am confident of the conclusion I will reach through observation and experimentation." His penetrating stare was hardly hindered by his glasses, and Shinobu could not help the shiver that ran down her spine.

"Wait, are you saying that Onee-san might not be possessed? Then, what's happening to her?"

Davis-hakase shook his head slowly. "Calm yourself, Yamasaka, this is still only the first day. Lin and I haven't even finished setting up yet."

"So I've noticed." Shinobu frowned. "Don't you have more assistants to help you with this?"

"I did, two others, in fact."

"Well, where are they?" she asked cheekily.

"One pursued a career in the managerial industry after the Japanese branch of SPR closed down."

"And the other?"

Davis-hakase tilted his head back slightly, just enough to glare at her from down his nose. "She went missing over five years ago. She was actually... _seen_ around your old house around the time of the fire."

Shinobu glared back at him, "Maybe she ran away because you're so insufferable?"

The sharp bark of laughter caught her off guard. She hadn't expected him to laugh; she wasn't even sure that his body was even capable of such a function until just now. "The only running that girl had been capable of was headlong into danger." Shinobu thought that the way he spoke was odd; it almost sounded like he was bragging! "She wasn't one to give up in the face of adversity, unlike the others. Mai wouldn't leave in such a way. No, not without first getting in my face about it." His shoulders rolled back.

 _He really is bragging!_ Shinobu thought irately. Then, it struck her, _Wait… "Mai"? The same Mai from the binder I took?_ The edges of her eyes crinkled in confusion, " _She_ was one of your assistants?" Her eyes widened as realization washed over her senses. "You said that she was spotted around my old house during the fire. Do you think that it's possible that-?"

"Taniyama Mai is not dead," the professor interrupted. He glared at her quite overtly with a scowl firmly etched into his handsome face, "Do not misinterpret my memory of her as acceptance of her passing. I only speak of her in the past tense since I cannot very well employ and pay a missing person, now, can I?" Davis-hakase stood up. "I will tell you this, Yamasaka Shinobu: I do not think Taniyama Mai is possessing your _sister_ ," again he said the word as if he were only humoring her.

Impatient and frustrated, Shinobu stood up, trying and failing to match him, and got in his face. Manners be damned. "And why is that?" she hissed lowly. The two stared each other down.

Davis-hakase took a deep breath before explaining, "In a normal case of possession, there is little to no change in the daily environment. There are acute and isolated changes in room temperature. And the possessed vessel is usually left physically unharmed unless restrained. A spirit would like to keep their host intact after all."

"So?"

The irritating man adjusted his glasses. "So, the woman upstairs has sustained multiple injuries in concentrated locations on her person." He looked like an exasperated adult explaining how one plus one equals two, as if it were all that simple.

"What about the room temperatures?" she asked hopefully.

He turned to the monitors, noting that all of them were online now and showing their respective rooms. His eyes darted to the different temperatures displayed on the screens. Most of them were only had a one or two degree difference in number due to open or closed doors or windows. "We'll need to wait for Lin to return to-"

"Setup's done. Here are the rest of the recorded temperatures and room sizes." Lin-san quietly stepped into the room and sat down in the seat that Davis-hakase had vacated.

"Speak of the devil." The irritating man turned around and accepted the clipboard from his assistant. He glanced down the list then back to the screens. The smile he gave to Shinobu was saccharine, and it made her want to knock out his perfect, white teeth with a mallet. "It seems that none of the rooms have any significant temperature changes. However, we can always wait and see, if you would like to make sure that this is indeed a case of possession. After all, this investigation is of no expense to you."

 _Damn._ It was a one in a million chance, but she would take it. She was hoping above all hope that he would find her sister to be possessed. There were no other reasons that she could think of that could cause her sister to behave in such an odd manner. "Fine," she spat petulantly, "I'll set up the guest rooms, since you're probably going to want to stay for the night."

"Good, and remake the tea. It's gotten cold," he said in an infuriatingly even tone. Shinobu growled low in her throat at the order and glared at him. She wordlessly took the tray of untouched tea and left, slamming the door closed behind her.


	4. Chapter 3: Their Faded Memories

A/N: Sorry for the slight delay. I spent all my free time after work binge-reading the Grisha trilogy (a solid 7.5/10 for me) and Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom (BOTH A RESOUNDING 10/10 FOR ME, KAZXINEJ 5EVER *SOBS IN FANGIRL* I MADE A SIX OF CROWS PINTEREST BOARD, AND I HAVE NO SHAME OR REGRETS). The last two weekends were off gallivanting with Disney and AOMG, so, yeah… I've been a bit busy. But I'm back, baby! And, aside from any job interviews and my beginning the Dresden Files series, I have nothing planned. Hooray for my introversion and crippling social anxiety! :D

I'm not 100% on backdrafts, so forgive the inaccuracies and the possible overplay. We're a little over halfway to the end, so some more backstory is going to come into play now. The real juicy and most revealing bits will be in chapter 4. Please stay tuned! _**Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**_

 **To my reviewers:**

 **whitedragon2645** , thanks so much for helping me to correct the Japanese in chapter 2! Glad to know Shinobu annoys you just as much as she annoys me (because dear lord, I made her such a precocious brat….)! We're gonna get a little more backstory on her here, so I hope that everyone can understand why she's such a bitter thing.

 **LadyHawke361** , yeah, Shinobu is a bit of a victim of circumstance. She's orphaned and left with no relatives aside from Yamasaka Asami. Have you begun to wonder why Mai might think she's Asami, or vice versa? ;)

 **Shunakoo25** , Shinobu's got some proper issues that we'll take a brief glimpse at in this chapter. She only has Yamasaka Asami left. Shinobu will do anything to keep her sister by her side.

 **Guest** , glad to know I got someone without an account interested! I know reviewing is a bit more inconvenient without logging in, so your thoughts are appreciated! If you think you know what's happening, you're always welcome to PM me. ;)

 **Yukihime88** , you aren't not, not, not, not, not, not, _not_ right! Shinobu is able to perform psychometry, so what other psychic power could you _possibly_ be talking about? Hahaha, whaaaaaaat? :O (PM me with your suspicions!)

 **CrescentMoonTenshi** , the fire was an awfully traumatic and stressful time for Shinobu, so some of her memories are admittedly… distorted. Yeah, Naru's a dick. Even when he's nice, he's a dick in my head. He was only really ever patient with Mai; everyone else was tolerated at a lower level than her. Lin's a bit busy doing stuff behind Naru's back, so we won't see much of him, unfortunately. Lol Naru knows that he's more handsome with glasses when he wears his hair slicked back, so it's completely for aesthetic purposes, of course. :P Thank you so much for your support!

 **Sesshy's Rose** , thank you! We're getting a bit more backstory in this chapter, but chapter 4 has the juiciest bits of information. Hope you stay tuned!

 **142 with an 8** , hope my story keeps you! Thanks for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 3:  
** **Their Faded Memories**

The glaring screens had his retinas aching. Oliver set his glasses on the table and rubbed his tired eyes. Nothing was happening, and nothing had been happening all day. Although it was normal for the first few nights to be quiet if there were ghosts, he was sure that there were none in this house.

Oliver took a large gulp of the cold tea that Yamasaka Shinobu had made him and Lin hours ago. Impressively, it was still delicious cold. _It's definitely one of the better brews that I've had. The girl does her family's brand well_. However, as good as the tea was, it was doing a rubbish job at keeping him awake. There was an odd sort of grogginess hanging about that he had never experienced on a case before. It felt like something was actively trying to lull him to sleep.

He shook his head and drained the rest of the cup. He set it down with an uncharacteristically ungraceful clatter as the drowsy haze attempted to resettle itself. Oliver went back to staring blankly at the monitors, unfocused on a single screen. As he paid less attention to his surroundings, the cogs in his head turned. Reviewing his facts, he knew that the woman in the locked room was obviously Mai; there was no doubt about it. What he still couldn't figure out was the core of the matter: what was happening.

Why did she think she was Yamasaka Asami? Was _Mai_ the one being possessed? _No, you already explained how it couldn't be possession to Yamasaka. Don't try to take the easy way out by just flipping it around._ Sure that it was not the work of the otherworldly, Oliver formed other hypotheses. Regardless of the situation or scenario his mind conjured, there was always one constant. _Yamasaka Shinobu is behind all of this somehow,_ he thought assertively.

A strong, fruity fragrance permeated the air, sharp yet sweet. It caused Oliver to sit up straight in his chair, fully awake and frowning. His dark eyes drifted to the screen that showed Yamasaka Shinobu sleeping soundly in bed. No, there was no way that she would be awake at such an ungodly hour on a weekday. Could it be Lin coming in to relieve him? But it had only been three hours, and the man knew how he felt about fruit tea.

There was a soft knock on the closed door, then the sound of the brass hinges squeaking. "Good evening, err… morning, I should say." Oliver turned around in his seat. Asami shuffled into the bright room with squinted eyes. One hand secured a wrinkled, light green shawl around her shoulders, and the other was holding a saucer with a western-styled teacup. "Goodness, it's so bright in here!" she complained as she quietly set the tea on the table. When her eyes finally adjusted, she noticed the glasses sitting on the table. "You wear glasses? It hardly seems as if you need them!" she exclaimed. "You hadn't worn them while talking to me earlier, and it definitely felt like you were able to move around just fine without them," she explained as she took Oliver's empty cup, placing it on the end table near the door. "So how is… whatever you're doing coming along?" she asked with a well-meaning, vacant smile and glassy eyes.

Oliver did not answer. Instead, he stared at the cup of fresh tea. The smell was bringing up memories, which were harmless in themselves, but they were causing a scarcely familiar feeling to well up in his throat. Asami's smile twitched and faded as a concerned look came over her face. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. I saw that the light in this room was on as I was going to the kitchen, so I thought that some fruit tea would be nice." She looked down. "If you don't like this kind, I can go and brew you another cup. We have a fantastic collection of leaves. Or, perhaps, coffee?" Her hand moved towards the cup handle.

"I prefer my tea black and straight, no milk or sugar, but anything is fine at this point." He accepted the cup before she could retract her offer. Oliver brought the rim up to his lips. He held back a cringe as the taste of watery fruit touched his tongue. _Where is the appeal?_ It held faint notes of strawberries and raspberries, and although he was sure there was no caffeine, the tartness buzzing up his cheeks perked him slightly.

He had never drunk anything resembling fruit tea before, the fact that it was a bit too light reminded him of Mai's brews and sent little shocks to futilely urge a twitch from his idle facial muscles. Fruit teas should probably be a bit stronger and more flavorful than what he was drinking, but he knew little to nothing about them. And anything stronger would overwhelm his sensitive taste buds. His gratitude was on the tip of his tongue, but it was too uncharacteristic of him to give his thanks over such a small matter. It was tea that he had once called compost after all. "It's better than your sister's," he complimented her with a derisive comment to Yamasaka Shinobu instead.

Asami giggled softly and waved her hand in denial. "I could never make better tea than Shinobu. I'm sure that it's just a matter of preference. No matter what I brew, she always complains that it's never strong enough to bring out the full flavor of the tea." She shuffled over to the other chair, turning her head to look at him with her glazed eyes. "Would you mind if I joined you? I'm feeling pretty awake."

Oliver nodded and took another gulp of his tea. He was getting used to the flavor, but he still preferred his usual cup. He put the half-drunk tea back on the small dish and sat back to stare at Asami. "Do you know why I'm here?" When she shook her head, he continued, "I'm here because Yamasaka thinks that you are possessed. Particularly, Yamasaka Shinobu thinks that Yamasaka Asami is being possessed by Taniyama Mai." A look of clarity overtook the glassiness in Asami's eyes. Oliver leaned forward. "Tell me, what do you think about this?"

The woman frowned and looked away, clenching her hands in her lap. "I think… she's lost," she answered ambiguously.

"Vagueness still irritates me, Mai, no matter how poetic," Oliver berated.

Her eyes narrowed as she avoided his direct gaze. "Yes, but _you_ of all people should be able to understand, Naru…."

Oliver warned her, "I don't have the patience for this, Mai." But she remained unresponsive, staring at the far wall. "Mai!" He grabbed her shoulder firmly, his fingers sinking into the faded green shawl.

The space around him shifted and turned. He was no longer in the base. Rather, he was now in a foreign room; it was Japanese-styled unlike the current Yamasaka house. His body moved without his conscious, and his hands were smaller with effeminate nail shapes. The sound of crinkling paper filled the room. He was folding a piece of creased yellow paper, unsuccessfully following the directions in front of him. There was too much of it just to be his own; there must be someone with him.

"Mai-san, how's your rabbit coming along?"

 _This thing's supposed to be a rabbit?_ Oliver thought to himself. He looked up to the child sitting in front of him and felt his mouth stretch into a sheepish smile against his will. "Umm… I think I might need another piece of paper," the voice did not sound like his, but Mai's. He was obviously entangled in her memories. _But how?_ He was never able to channel another's energy outside of psychometry, and he always had to synchronize with an item voluntarily.

 _Is this Mai's doing?_ It was an odd feeling, just falling into a memory. However, it appeared that Mai's powers did not influence him beyond that. Oliver was obviously experiencing everything as Mai, and he was lucidly aware of the vision as just that – a vision. There was no adjustment, no change of names, or rotation of roles that made it as personal as Mai had confided to him in their past cases. Maybe she activated his psychometry when he touched her, or maybe her abilities had developed to where she could project her memories now. _Interesting,_ Oliver internally filed this information away to be studied later. "How are you feeling?" he felt himself, Mai, ask.

The little girl finished up her elephant and took two pieces of paper, one for her and one for Mai. "Still a bit sad," she confessed, "Ojii-san and Onee-san told me that Okaa-san and Otou-san became stars, so they could watch over me every night, but I think I'm too old to believe in that kind of stuff now." She looked over to Mai's page with a dull glance and flipped a corner of the origami paper for her. "This part needs to touch the inner crease."

"Oh, thanks." Oliver heard the hollowness in Mai's voice. He felt the weight of Mai's sorrow, the puckered brow, and her burning eyes. The girl really felt too much for his liking. She stopped folding and looked at the child. "You know… my parents became stars too." His hand, small and feminine, reached over to pat the little girl's back. "And I know they're watching over me."

"They are?" The young Shinobu's eyes widened. A light shined in them where it hadn't been before, replacing the dullness from earlier.

Oliver pulled her into his arms. _Satou-san said that she'll be in junior high school soon, but she's still so small,_ Mai thought. His embrace tightened protectively. "Yup." Shinobu wriggled around, and he drew away to look at her. "What's wrong?" he asked in Mai's overly caring voice.

"I just remembered that I have homework!" the little girl shouted. She looked up into his face with big puppy eyes, "Can you please help me, Mai-san?" Her two little braids bounced in her eagerness.

Mai's chuckle shook his shoulders as she nodded his head, "Of course."

"Yay!" Shinobu broke free from the hug and took his hand in both of hers. "C'mon! Let's go to my room!" She pulled him down the hall excitedly. When they got to her room, she let go of his hand at the doorway. She ran to her backpack, which she left on the floor, and dug through her various books and notes. Mai moved Oliver closer, looking around the bright room filled with pink and white and a mountain of stuffed animals on her bed.

The silence had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. _Must be Mai's intuition._ She really was like an animal sometimes. He shifted his gaze to Shinobu who had pulled out her notebook. She was just staring at it with a shock-white face and a gape. _What is it?_ Oliver stepped around to her side, and his hands went to cover his mouth. _No…._ Mai thought.

 _JUST DIE!_

 _YOU'RE A FREAK!_

 _UGLY WEIRDO!_

 _WITCH!_

 _YOU MONSTER!_

 _PARENT KILLER!_

The graffiti on Shinobu's notebook was written in large and angry red strokes. Oliver's trembling hand reached out to take it from her, and Shinobu did not resist. He shook as both Mai's rage and sorrow wracked his borrowed body. He opened the notebook. The pages were either shredded or splotched with red ink; not one page was left untouched. _How could anyone do such a thing? Let alone children…._ Mai thought in disgust. Oliver himself was very aware of the cruelties of which children were capable, but it seemed that Mai was not.

Everything shook. The stuffed animals on the bed fell over, a decorative glass vase shattered on the floor near Shinobu's desk, and books fell from the shelf. Oliver could see Mai's reflection in the fallen mirror shard on the floor. _So the scarf's what brought me here._ The walls groaned, and the sturdy windows rattled. The temperature of the pink room dropped drastically. _Poltergeist,_ came the thought, whether it was his own or Mai's, the researcher was uncertain.

Immediately, he reached out to Shinobu and pulled the frail girl into his arms. "I'm sorry!" Mai's voice cried. Her tears burned down his cheeks, as no other comforting words came to her mind. "I'm sorry, Shinobu-chan! I'm so sorry that the other kids are doing this to you! Please calm down. If you keep acting like this, you're going to hurt someone!"

The shaking, rattling, and shattering continued. He heard something down the hall break. "Please, Shinobu-chan! You like me right? And you like your Ojii-san and your Onee-san, right? Please, stop… for us!" Mai's voice pleaded loudly. At the mention of her family members, everything slowly calmed; however, there was a muffled cracking sound that came from upstairs. Though the windows were webbed with fragmentation and the room a mess, Mai had Oliver's focus solely on the hiccuping girl holding onto him for dear life.

Shinobu screamed into his chest as she cried out her sorrows and her pain. Her knuckles were white, and her shrieks were deafening, but he accepted everything. Mai accepted everything. His embrace was tight; Mai knew that the pressure of another person would be reassuring as he slowly rocked her back and forth in his arms. When the screaming and crying stopped, there were only sniffles and hiccups left. Oliver felt relieved when Mai began to pull away, but Shinobu held fast.

"Don't go, Mai-san!" Her voice was cracked from the screaming. She looked up at Oliver's face. Her dark eyes were red from crying and her cheeks were red and swollen. "Do you hate me now? I'm sorry that I almost hurt you! Please don't hate me!" she babbled as the tears started up again.

Mai had him pulling the girl back into his arms, "Of course I don't hate you, Shinobu-chan. I wouldn't leave, not like this." He felt Mai's throat closing up. "I'm not going anywhere," he forced out and tucked a loose strand of black hair behind the girl's small ear.

The moment was interrupted by a muffled scream, "FIRE!"

"Fire?!" Oliver released Shinobu and stood in alarm. Taking her small hand in his, Mai had him tugging the little girl towards the door. "Shinobu, we need to get out!" The two of them ran into the hall. Although it looked fine, Oliver knew that house fires were deceptive, especially if they were happening in an enclosed space.

"Nobu-chan! Taniyama-san!"

Satou Daichi came out of a side room with a worried look. If Oliver were in control of himself, he would have glared at the elderly man. "Satou-san!" Mai's voice called out in relief as they ran out the front entrance

There was another scream from upstairs, this time it was followed by a loud and continuous banging. "H-HELP!" a feminine voice wailed.

"Asami!"

"Onee-san!"

Oliver looked to the old man and the little girl. Neither of them were in a position to help a trapped person. _Damn…._ Mai thought. He felt her burst of idiotic courage in his chest, _I should've left Naru a message._ she thought. He gave the elderly man Shinobu's small hand and turned to the stairs. "Satou-san, take Shinobu-chan outside; have someone call the police, the fire station, anyone who can help! I'm going to get Asami-san."

"Wait, Taniyama-san-!"

Unheeding of Satou Daichi's cry, Oliver rushed back inside and up the stairs. When he got to the top, he ran straight forward, towards the source of the banging. There was a closed door, The bottom corner of it wedged deep into the hardwood, and the screws holding the door hinges to the frame had come loose – both a consequence of Yamasaka Shinobu's outburst. From the small cracks around the door, Oliver could see thin wisps of smoke streaming out. Trapped in Mai's memory, he could only watch and move as she did. His foolish assistant tried to break down the door with her shoulder like she had seen in western action movies.

"NOBU-CHAN, PLEASE, WE HAVE TO GET OUT!"

"NOOO! ONEE-SAN!"

The house shook again, and Mai's clumsiness caused Oliver to lose his balance and fall face forward onto the floor. His body was weary and battered and neither the rising smoke nor Yamasaka's second outburst were helping. The banging on the other side stopped, Mai's will pushed him to crawl to the door, and he stood up on shaky legs, using the door as support. He coughed from the carbon monoxide and weakly hit the door with the side of his fist. He rested his throbbing head against the heavy wood, "Asami…san?" Mai's voice wheezed out.

"No…!" came a muffled squeak.

Oliver put his ear to the door and coughed. "Asami-san?" Mai's voice called out again.

"… The window!" she whimpered through the wood.

Through the door, Oliver could hear the stifled splintering of glass. _Backdraft,_ he knew, but couldn't will Mai's body away. A gust of hot air and ash forced the door open by its loosened hinges. Oliver felt Mai instinctively bringing up his arms to shield his eyes as he stumbled back. The ground leveled off. His borrowed body tumbled down the staircase in a frenzy of flailing limbs, bouncing between the wooden posters and the wall like one of those pinball games that Gene used to enjoy so much. He noticed that Mai was extremely lucky that she did not bite off her tongue as she fell. It felt like an eternity before he finally reached the bottom floor. _Naru…_ He heard Mai call out for him in her thoughts. _I'm sorry…._ A hard _thud_ reverberated in his ears from the back of his skull and buzzed through his eyes.

"Oliver…!"

Oliver opened his leaden eyes. When had he fallen asleep, and why was he so warm? He could feel sweat on his back and sat up with a grimace as his stiff body shifted. A faded green shawl fell from around his shoulders and onto his lap. _Mai…._ he thought as he held up the fabric to his bleary eyes. He neatly folded the worn, soft cashmere and set it on the table. It was a miracle that it had survived the fire. Oliver slipped his glasses back onto his face. His brows puckered as he saw a familiar unlabeled binder sitting in front of the monitors with an unfamiliar sticky note on it.

He would need to check it for missing pages or vandalism, but for now he plucked off the small, light blue paper and hid the binder away in his bag to keep Lin's prying eyes off of it. He stuck it next to one of the notes he had pilfered from the day before. He would need to add it at a later time when he had the chance. Oliver looked at the note. The handwriting was neat and feminine as Asami asked for him to excuse Shinobu's rude behavior from yesterday. She thanked him for coming even though she personally felt that there was nothing wrong. She appreciated his effort to assuage her sister's worries about her, and offered to pay him, though the younger Yamasaka had assured her that the case was taken as a courtesy call.

"Oliver!" Lin called again.

"I heard you the first time, Lin." Oliver gave a tired sigh as he put the note in his pocket. "What's wrong?"

"They're fighting, Yamasaka-san and… Taniyama-san…." The tone of his voice indicated that he was still doubtful of Oliver's assertion.

Oliver said nothing, but he silently crept out into the hallway. He stopped just a meter or two shy of the kitchen and leaned against the wall with crossed arms. His blatant eavesdropping was as rude as it was logical. Lin sighed through his nose and silently joined him. It felt wrong, but they had so little to work with already. _We need as much information as possible to find Mai._ Let Yamasaka Shinobu catch them. She needed them as much as they needed her.

* * *

Shinobu sat sullenly at the dining table as Asami served them breakfast. She glared at Davis-hakase and his assistant whenever her sister looked away, still upset when she found them eavesdropping just outside the kitchen. Lin-san even had the audacity to introduce himself to her sister as if he were innocent! _They're so untrustworthy!_ Shinobu silently seethed.

Asami poured water into a strainer in a pretty tea pot. She set a timer for three minutes and began slicing up some lemons. "Would either of you like one?" She asked the professor and his assistant. One shook his head, while the other nodded. She placed a thin lemon slice in two English-styled teacups and put the rest of the slices away in a container in the fridge. The timer beeped, and she moved the strainer of leaves to the sink for washing. She poured out the three cups of black tea. "Lemon black tea for Lin-san and I, and straight for Davis-hakase," she announced to no one in particular.

"I didn't know you had a preference," Shinobu ground out.

"You never thought to ask," Oliver replied.

Shinobu bristled in her seat and dug her nails into the fine wood of the dining table. "Please don't provoke her, Hakase." Food was set on the table with graceful movements. Asami beamed when Davis-hakase took a sip of her tea and released a near inaudible sigh through his nose. Seeing his silent approval sent a mild thrill of giddiness through her chest. However, although it made her feel better, it seemed to put Shinobu in a sourer mood, for the girl always had a foul temper in the mornings, and this seemed to make it worse somehow. Asami sat down and frowned when she saw that her sister was still glaring at their guests. She glanced at the clock and nudged Shinobu with her elbow, "Hurry and eat or you'll be late for school." Asami tucked a loose strand of black hair behind Shinobu's ear before quickly deboning her fish. She picked up a soft chunk of its belly meat and glanced at her sister's untouched fish. "Do you need help?" she joked.

"I'm skipping school today."

The fish fell back onto the plate before it even made it into Asami's open mouth. The woman calmly set down her chopsticks and looked at her sister, "You aren't skipping."

Shinobu kept her black gaze steady on their guests, "I don't trust them alone with you."

" _You_ invited them," Asami pointed out.

"They weren't supposed to _stay_."

"Well, you aren't skipping school."

"Onee-san!"

" _Shinobu_ ," Asami's voice was firm, "you have your responsibilities as a student, even more so as the student council president." Her eyes softened as they held each other's gaze. "I'll be fine. Davis-hakase and Lin-san are good people. They won't do anything untoward."

"You don't know that!"

"Just as you don't know that they might just be here to help us." Asami glanced at the clock again and sighed. "So just… hurry and eat and… get ready for school." She said nothing more as she partook of her cooled fish.

"But what about our," Shinobu lowered her voice to a whisper, " _talks_?"

Asami shook her head, the curled tips of her brown hair swaying against her shoulders in agreement. "No time. If you hadn't argued with me so much this morning, this wouldn't have been an issue. Besides, we didn't _talk_ yesterday, and I had felt fine, still feel fine. I'm sure I'll be all right for just one more day without it." Shinobu visibly wilted. She nodded her head and listlessly picked at her food.

The woman picked up her teacup, peering at Davis-hakase and Lin-san over the rim. Hopefully, they didn't feel awkward or unwelcome after Shinobu's outburst. And, as awful as it might have sounded, she anticipated that they would be more comfortable after Shinobu left. They had been so quiet all the while the two of them had argued, almost like they weren't even there. _He's watching – observing us._ It was that familiar voice again, the one that told her that Davis-hakase was a good person. _I can trust them…. I can trust him. Naru will help us._

 _Naru?_ Asami thought. She continued eating, focusing on only what was happening in her confused mind. _Is that a nickname of Davis-hakase?_ It sounded awfully informal for her to think such a thing, inner thoughts or no. Shinobu got up and said something, but Asami was only vaguely aware of her departure. Everything had suddenly become so hazy.

 _He will help her. I just have to believe. I have to be patient._ the voice continued. _Naru's always saved me before; he will surely do the same her._ Asami felt something inside of her reaching out to the man sitting across from her. _Naru… Naru… please help us…. Help her…. Naru… Naru…!_ the voice lowered to a desperate ghost of a whisper in her ears.

 _Naru…._ Asami's eyes burned unreasonably, and she brought up her bowl of soup to cover her face. Why did she want to call out to him? Why did she want to call out that name? She looked at her reflection in the cloudy miso; glassy brown eyes stared back. _Naru…._ Her heart called out again. She set down the soup to look at him. An image of a younger man overlapped with his in her mind's eye. When had he taken to wearing his bangs away from his face? Why did he start wearing glasses? Asami shook her head to clear the curious thought and reached towards her tea. The face reflected in the tea drenched lemon was that of her own as well as a stranger's. Had her hair always been this long? Had she always worn so much makeup? She looked up to meet the unflinching gaze of Dr. Oliver Davis.

 _Naru…._

Was that her voice, or the other voice calling out?

 _I've missed you._

Missed him? Did she even know him?

 _Naru…._

Asami could feel a heavy weight on her chest as her heart recognized the dissonance in her feelings and her memories. Her eyes burned again, more intensely this time. Her lower lip trembled, and the hand holding the tea shook. _I know him…._ She looked down at her tea again, shocked to see a spark of recognition lighting up her usually dull eyes. _I love him._ Her heart broke, and the other voice disappeared with that faint whisper. The salt of her tears mixed with her tea as she drained the cup. Blood rushed in her ears as her heartbeat picked up. Her mouth opened and closed exactly two times, and then she promptly fainted.


	5. Chapter 4: Their Uninvited Guests

A/N: The motherlode of hints is contained within this chapter. Kudos if you can figure everything out before chapter 5! Sorry about John's dialogue, not sure how Kansai-ben would sound localized (Southern drawl?), so I did what I did. Just two more chapters after this: the conclusion and the epilogue. Enjoy! **Constructive criticism is _always_ welcome.**

 **To my reviewers** :

 **Shunakoo25** , I will do my best not to disappoint! Scrutinizing and opinion-forming is welcome. It's nice to get feedback in general. I'm super grateful that you've been following and dropping reviews every chapter with your thoughts on everything. It's great to be able to see how people are reacting to the story! All the secrets will be revealed in chapter 5, so let's see if you can find the answer in this chapter. ;)

 **CrescentMoonTenshi** , thank you! I'm trying my best to keep Naru in character, though I definitely feel like he steps out of character every now and again. Of course he's still a narcissist! He wouldn't be Naru if he weren't! I definitely wanted to play on that a little more since it felt like it would be something fun to write about (and it is!).

 **LadyHawke361** , you're half-right, half-wrong. Hopefully this chapter will give you some more clues to solve Mai's case. ;)

 **Agwen** , thanks for all the constructive criticism and for telling me how some things work in _Ghost Hunt_ with its characters and powers. I definitely let some important details slip my mind and allowed my eagerness in writing the story to take some liberties with both. Hope you stick around 'til the end and that I don't disappoint!

 **The Blue Rhapsody** , thank you for your review! Hope you like this update as well as the first four!

* * *

 **Chapter 4:  
** **Their Uninvited Guests**

The tears were unexpected, but what was most shocking was when Mai abruptly fell from her chair. Oliver had been caught off-guard, but he was agile enough to catch her. The loud thump of his knees against the hardwood was drowned by the sound of her shattering cup. His adrenaline dulled whatever pain he knew he would be feeling later. He checked her pulse, her eyes, and her breathing. Everything seemed normal, so why had she fainted? _What happened?_

Oliver wordlessly stood and carried her to the living room. The soft clattering of dishes reached his ears as he laid her down on the couch. Lin was always a gracious houseguest, even during cases. Oliver sat at the edge of the couch. He swiped a hand over her bangs and pressed his fingers to her scalp. He shallowly dug through her memories, to see if fainting spells were normal. They weren't, of course. Instead, he received some interesting information about her relationship with Yamasaka Shinobu. A firm hand landed on his shoulder and broke his tenuous connection.

"Watch yourself."

Pulling himself from the visions, Oliver frowned and let go of Mai's hair. "I know my own limits." Checking his watch, he had easily passed half an hour in her memories. He gave Lin an arrogant side-eye from behind his glasses. "Besides, I was able to gather much more information from her than from anything else in this house." He looked back down at the unconscious woman. "As I thought, the emanation that comes from a human body, regardless of animation, provides the best and most material."

Lin almost flinched at the words. When Eugene's body had been found all those years ago, Oliver had probably used psychometry on him. If so, then he was the first human Oliver had ever tried using it on. _Of course,_ Lin thought, _He's a researcher, not a nosy aunt, and he had less control over his powers then compared to now._ It was nice to think that Oliver had left people's memories alone, so they could keep their privacy; however, that was as unlikely as a cat developing gills within twenty-four hours. He probably never thought to use it before out of sheer confidence. The man liked challenges after all. _So why use it now? Is he really that desperate?_ The words "desperate" and "Oliver Davis" definitely did not belong in the same sentence, but there did not seem to be any other explanation. Asami was most likely only the second human whose physical memories had ever been searched using his psychometry.

"Find anything important?" Well, it wouldn't hurt for him to ask.

"Of course," Oliver stated flatly, "and it's something quite odd. These 'sisters' never seem to argue, not seriously and never for an extended period of time."

"And this is unusual?" Lin questioned. Being an only child himself, he knew little of sibling dynamics.

Oliver just shook his head. "All siblings fight; Gene and I fought all the time. Arguments would go on for days, not hours, and only half the time was it something as trivial as the fights about side dishes that Mai and Yamasaka Shinobu have had." His brows furrowed, and he laced his fingers together in front of his mouth. Leaning his elbows against his knees, he continued, "It's common to butt heads with relatives, but the infrequency at which it occurs here is what makes it suspect."

He leaned back, crossed his legs, and folded his arms under his chest. His shoulders sank into the plush cushions, but space remained between the couch and his back. It was the most inelegant pose Lin had ever seen him in, but in it Oliver avoided sitting on the unconscious woman's feet. Seeing him considerate distracted Lin, and it caused him to lose his train of thought for a second. The assistant wracked his head to find a remnant of his what they had heard that morning, his derailed question returned on-track, "Would it have anything to do with their 'talks' that Yamasaka-san was so anxious about?"

Oliver glanced at the kitchen, wheels turning in his brilliant mind. "So you noticed too." His gaze returned to the woman on the couch. "In Mai's memories, she and Yamasaka Shinobu routinely speak every morning and evening. It was subduing her in some way, especially whenever they held hands." Oliver frowned. He would never understand the need some people felt for such frequent engagements of physical contact. "The subjects varied each morning, but the overarching topic remained the same, discussing their past. I'm certain that there's a connection between these conversations and Mai's current state."

Lin frowned and looked to the sleeping woman with a doubtful eye. "How are you sure?"

Oliver's glare was withering. "Although I currently lack concrete evidence, there are other visible signs that my hypothesis will be easily proven with time." He redirected his eyes to look out the living room window. "The house fire had not swallowed everything. When we went to investigate five years ago, there was enough still intact at the site. Workers that Satou Daichi had hired were able to find nearly untouched collections of porcelain and photo albums. And yet, even so" – Oliver turned his head slightly so he was peering down the empty hall. On the walls hung pretty paintings and current photos – "not a single one of those pictures is a shot of the Yamasaka sisters as children." Silence followed Oliver's declaration. Lin swallowed to moisten his dry throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He cleared his throat and tried again, but he was interrupted by the sound of his phone. He was given a nod and excused himself to answer it in the privacy of their base.

Oliver exhaled and removed his glasses, so he could rub at his eyes. That vision of a dream had left him feeling drowsy when he had awoken. Mai shifted and her feet lightly nudged against Oliver. He turned his head and tossed her a disdainful look. "You better be sleeping, Mai," he admonished lowly. Her knees drew to her chest. Once they were free and far from the researcher, her toes wriggled once and then stopped. A small smile stretched her closed mouth as her breathing came in even draws and exhales. _"Worryguts,"_ he mumbled under his breath as he stared at her. Although he said that, he accepted her offer and relaxed more fully against the freed space of the couch.

Being this close to her was making him inexplicably lethargic. His eyes groggily opened and closed. His view of the Yamasaka living room blurred with each blink, and the ticking of the wall clock grew fainter with every beat of his heart. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Something softly bumped into his hand and dislodged the glasses from his slack grip. Oliver slowly opened his eyes. He was no longer in a living room. _Where am I?_ the thought came unbidden to his mind. His eyes roamed in their sockets as a steady beep registered in his ears. _A hospital,_ he thought, _was I pulled into Mai's memory again?_

On an uncomfortable bed in a public hospital room, Oliver couldn't muster the energy to move. He also just realized the uncomfortable feeling of a hose taped to his mouth and shoved down his esophagus. _Is the breathing tube necessary?_ he thought acerbically. However, he couldn't even muster the strength to gag, so maybe it was. From behind the curtain, there stood two shadows. Mai's stuffed ears could only pick up muffled bits and pieces of their conversation between the beats of her heart.

"… a body… second fl-… died inst-… backdraft."

"No…."

"Was… -one close… relative?"

"… Shin-… tutor."

"… bed?"

"… granddaugh-…."

It was an odd feeling to be fully awake and aware, and yet only able to grasp what information Mai knew. He was used to seeing visions from an objective and almost omniscient point of view while experiencing the emotion that a person had imbued into an object. Oliver blinked and the scenery shifted to a private hospital room. Confused, he blinked again, but the scenery did not change. The uncomfortable feeling down his throat was gone, but he could feel an oxygen mask strapped around his face and further drying out his already chapped lips. A nurse stepped into his field of vision and diligently fluffed his pillow.

"Welcome back, Yamasaka Asami-san." Oliver slowly turned his head and spotted a doctor. He frowned behind his mask, but he could not muster the strength to do much else. "Ah, you're confused. Don't worry, you're in the hospital. Your grandfather, Satou Daichi-san, was worried, and he thought it prudent to give you a private room to help hasten your recuperation." He went to the foot of the bed and took the clipboard. "You're lucky to have survived that fall with minimal bruising, but your head is another thing. You suffered some serious trauma, but nothing fatal or effective to your daily life, so some temporary memory loss and confusion is to be expected. Everything will heal and return with the proper care and time, Yamasaka-san."

 _I'm not Yamasaka Asami._ Mai's weak thought echoed faintly in his mind.

"The hypoxia was treated fast enough for there not to be any long-term effects." He put the clipboard down and patted her ankle with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Yamasaka-san, you'll be up and about in about a week. You could probably even be discharged by the end of this month." The doctor rounded the bed and bent to get something against the side.

There was the rustling sound of a plastic bag before he straightened with a folded, light green fabric in his hand. "You're grandfather had this laundered and dropped off this morning." The nurse moved Oliver's borrowed body, so he was leaning forward and off the bed. The doctor gently draped the warm shawl around his shoulders. It somehow did make him, or rather Mai, feel better. The nurse knotted it under his neck, and the doctor nodded, still smiling. "You definitely look more comfortable now." He turned to the desk and picked up a vial and hypodermic needle.

"I'm not Yamasaka Asami," Oliver felt Mai trying to say, but her voice was too weak. She had no energy to move her lips to even mouth the words. Oliver watched the unnamed doctor inject something into Mai's I.V. His heart sped up as his thoughts clouded. _Not Yamasaka Asami. Not Yamasaka Asami!_ Mai's internal cries bounced a cacophony, but only he could lend an ear to her words.

"Get some rest, Yamasaka-san."

 _She's not Yamasaka Asami,_ he thought in tandem to her pleas.

 _Not Yamasaka Asami._

 _Not Yamasaka Asami!_

 _Not-!_

"Oh, my… Hakase?!"

He jolted slightly as the vision was interrupted. Oliver's eyes opened, and he slowly turned his head towards the sound that woke him. Yamasaka Asami was curled up in a tight ball at the other end of the couch, knees only slightly hiding her bright red face. "I-I'm so sorry about that! U-Um, if you're tired, would you like me to bring you a blanket?"

Oliver blinked lazily and shook his head. "No, that will not be necessary. I was only resting my eyes." He glanced at his watch and frowned. _A solid hour. Why didn't Lin wake me?_ He had last seen the taller man leaving to answer a phone call. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he peered down the empty hall. Lin was even less of a social talker than him, and he hardly knew of a single person who could keep him on the phone for longer than three minutes. _With the exception of Madoka and her ramblings._

"Ah… Umm… would you mind telling me what happened, Hakase? I can't seem to remember much after breakfast…."

Oliver's gaze shifted to the woman on the other side of the couch. "What do you remember?"

Although not as red as before, Asami looked like a nervous semi-wreck at his question. Her hands were fisted in her hair as her unfocused eyes stared at the floor. Her breathing was uneven as her balled-up body shook with each ragged breath. "The voice came back…. and then… I… we…" Her head snapped up. She settled a wild gaze on him. Her hair was a bird's nest of tangles from her worried fingers, which were now on her knees. "Nothing made sense, and yet it felt right. I… I…" her words were cryptic and sounded even more confusing as she said them.

Oliver laid a hand on her shoulder. "Breathe," he commanded softly. Asami inhaled deeply. "That's right, just breathe," he encouraged. She gave a long exhale and looked far less shaken than before. Oliver gave her a few minutes to collect herself. When she had calmed, he continued, "Now… what happened before you fell unconscious?"

"The voice came back, Davis-hakase. The one that spoke to me when you came into my room."

"What did it say?"

Asami frowned and she ground the heel of her hand against her temple. "I can't remember…." she confessed in a disappointed voice. "I wonder why I even blacked out."

Oliver stared at her. Silence reigned for a few seconds before he finally responded, looking away as he did. "Lack of sleep, maybe…."

The soft thumping of footsteps finally returned from down the hall. "You're both awake, I see." Lin's low voice attracted their collective attention.

"Off the phone, I see." Oliver's derision concealed his question. Lin would intrinsically understand that he was annoyed at not being woken.

He watched as the young professor bent to retrieve his glasses from the floor. He absently wondered how they had fallen off. "You looked peaceful, so I took the liberty of keeping an eye on the monitors." He checked his watch. "But now that you're awake, what will be our next course of action?"

Oliver redirected his gaze to Asami. "Since Yamasaka is still at school, now would be the time to ask you some questions." After she gave a small murmur of agreement, he got off the couch and rounded the coffee table until he sat across from her, dark wood sitting between them. Her body uncurled from its defensive ball, and she draped her legs over the edge of the couch. "Lin," he called. His assistant took a seat beside him and swiftly took a laptop from his bag. When it finished booting up, he nodded. With that, Oliver got started, "Tell me about your past. What do you remember from the past few days?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Asami's brows knitted. "I… I went to work during my normal hours. I made Shinobu and my lunches. I went out to drink with my coworkers every now and again." Her face scrunched up, and she pressed her palm against her eye. "I also… I was… I was waiting at the train station."

"Where were you headed?"

"Shibuya Station."

"Why?"

Asami grimaced. "I don't… remember…."

There was a short silence between them that was only disturbed by the clicking of a keyboard. "Do you remember what happened before Satou Daichi died?" Oliver tried another route.

"Satou Daichi… my… grandfather?" she sounded slightly confused, about what, the professor was unsure.

"Yes."

"He died a while ago. Seeing Shinobu that day made me sad…." she murmured. "Before he died, I" – she paused, bemusement twisted her features – "I was… I did…" She closed her mouth and swallowed loudly. "I remember being in the hospital after the fire, getting discharged, coming here, and finding a job." Her breath hitched slightly. "And then I attended Ojii-sama's funeral.… I attended his funeral…?"

"Is there something wrong?" Oliver questioned as her face paled. Her body quaked as she cast him a fearful look.

"I attended his funeral, but when did he die?" Asami could not stop shaking. She remembered the funeral so vividly – the flowers, the black, the smell of incense, the mourning. However, for the life of her, she couldn't recall his day of passing. "I knew he was dead when I went to his funeral, but why can't I remember the day that he died?" She gasped for breath.

"Calm down," Oliver commanded. "If you can't remember, then there's no need to force it," he informed her. Besides, the gaps in her memory would definitely work as evidence against Yamasaka Shinobu's assertion and towards the theory building in his head.

After a few minutes of loud and deep breathing, Asami finally regained some semblance of composure. "I apologize for my behavior," she said in a low voice. "I don't know what's come over me today. I've never really had this sort of trouble before."

The clicking of keys continued in an unbroken stream as Oliver stared at her. "You've probably never had to recollect such information before."

"Yes," Asami confessed, "whenever I talk with my sister, it feels like we only ever talk about what happened ages ago, around the time when we were both children."

"From before the fire?" he asked. Asami nodded, and he pursued the line of questioning, "What do you remember from those times?"

The woman slowly shook her head and looked sad. "Not much…. I only remember what Shinobu has taken the time to remind me about."

"Is that so…." Oliver trailed off. He glanced away for a second before his eyes swung back to her. "Then tell about those memories: the ones about you and Yamasaka Shinobu. Tell me with as much detail as possible."

She perked almost instantly and animatedly recounted the memories. Asami could remember seeing the smile on her face as she brought out Yamasaka Shinobu's birthday cake. She could remember seeing herself onstage, accepting her junior high school diploma, the nervousness she had exuded had been visible even with the distance from where she sat away from the stage. She narrated event after event, each recollection playing out in her mind's eye joyfully. Throughout her long spiel, the perspective of the statements was distinct, and it helped to solidify Oliver's case.

Then, she stopped.

That same pallor from earlier overtook her face, and she bowed her head. Her fingers re-tangled themselves in her wild hair. "It seems that you've noticed." Oliver stared at her quiet form. Without a word, she gave a single nod. "Do you understand what's going on now?" She shook her head once, and her head bowed lower, "While it's wonderful that you remember such happy memories, how is it that you're able to see yourself in them?" The click of Lin's typing stopped, but Oliver was focused solely on her. "Why, in your own memories, are you always lookingat yourself?" He leaned forward and lowered his voice as he continued, "From whose eyes are you seeing these memories?"

The silence that followed was deafening. Lin had all but frozen in his shock, and Oliver just sat there… waiting. A minute passed, then two, then five. A sniffle broke the stillness, then a sob. A slender hand flew to her mouth, and she curled into herself again, bringing her feet back onto the couch. "I can't do this to her…. I can't!" her muffled voice cried. She wrapped her arms around her drawn up knees.

"… Oliver," Lin's voice was a hoarse whisper, "just what-?" A shrill ringing startled them all. He released a pent up breath and took out his cellphone. Looking at the screen, he immediately closed his laptop and stood. "I need to take this," he stated as he left the living room to answer the call. He had left no room for refusal from his boss.

At this point in time, however, Oliver cared too little and ignored him. He just kept his steady gaze on the weeping woman in front of him. Once he could no longer hear his assistant, he leaned back and removed his glasses, pretending to inspect them for dirt. "It's over, Mai. Asami isn't going to hold up anymore. Yamasaka Shinobu is old enough to handle herself by now, and it's too dangerous to let you stay here. You're leaving with me after I've informed her of everything."

"This isn't being gentle!" the woman across from him shouted from her ball. "I asked you to be gentle!"

"I never said I would be." Oliver put his glasses on the table. "In fact, I was actively rejecting your request as of a few minutes ago." He raised a condescending brow. "I thought that much would have been obvious. You should know me much better than that, Mai; although it has, admittedly, been a few years." And he was, admittedly, still a tad bitter about her disappearance.

"Yeah, well, I was hoping that the years would have made you less of a jerk!" she shouted, but it came out muffled as she kept her face hidden in her knees. Mai lifted her head slightly, but kept her gaze downwards, so he would not be able to see her face. "The questions and implications shocked Asami, but I can feel her coming back. I don't know what to do, and I don't know how this happened!" Clear, brown eyes stared at him over the tops of her knees, "What I _think_ I know is that this won't be over until Shinobu accepts the truth, and Asami disappears. But I… But Shinobu…" Mai laid her head atop her knees, hiding her eyes once again. " _You're_ the genius here, so… help me… help _her_ …."

Oliver glared at her. "This is not a negotiation." He waited for a response, but received none. His temper rose with her silence. Aggravated, he stood and rounded the table. "Mai." He reached down and pried an arm from the strong band it had formed around her knees. "Hey, Mai!"

"Oi, Naru! The hell do you think you're doin'? Why didn't you tell us you found something on Mai?!"

The researcher froze. An icy anger straightened his spine. He turned to glare at a man he had not seen in over five years. "Takigawa-san," he greeted as he let go of Mai and took his glasses from the table, sliding them back onto his face. Oliver had grown during their separation; his body was broader, longer. Though he was still shorter than both the monk and Lin, his height was impressive and superior to most others'. Maintaining eye contact, he ground out, "Lin, why is he here?" Takigawa Houshou's glower was fierce in the fury it projected, and his stance was closed and hostile with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his wide shoulders bent in. With his unchanged piercings and blond hair, he still looked ever the gangster.

"We were invited," a feminine voice replied. Matsuzaki Ayako stepped into the living room and leveled her own glare at him. "No thanks to you," she growled bitterly. "We got a call from Madoka yesterday about you and Lin finding a lead on Mai. Then Lin rang us up later this morning to tell us where you guys were. We've left a message with Yasuhara and Masako. They'll be joining us when she finishes filming." She frowned. It was a wonder if time had been kind to her under all that makeup; Matsuzaki Ayako didn't look a day aged from when he had last seen her. The only difference was the simplistic engagement ring on her left hand. "Oh, and we brought lunch. You're welcome." She sniffed haughtily.

"Why didn't you tell us that you found something? In fact, why hadn't you kept in contact these past five years?" The researcher's silence only fueled Takigawa's anger as Mai's had with Oliver. "Dammit, Naru, say something!"

Oliver blinked once, stubborn. Then a deep frown marred his handsome face, "There was no need to keep in contact with you. Without evidence, the rest of you had claimed Mai dead. That alone told me that there was no further need to involve you in the investigation," he stated plainly.

Takigawa felt a blood vessel at his temple throb. He took a step closer to Oliver. "You son of a—"

"Umm… Sorry ta intrude. An' though I agree that it was mighty unkind of Naru to not tell us 'bout his discovery, we shouldn't let it spoil our reunion. Ahh, Bou-san, would ya mind helpin' me with these?" a soft voice accented by Kansai-ben rang out from behind a tower of pizza boxes.

Takigawa glared at Oliver for a few seconds more before he clicked his tongue and turned away. "Whatever." He removed his hands from his pockets and took a few boxes from the priest. Oliver hardly took note of the ring on the monk's left hand. As the taller man strode past him the scent of garlic, cheese, and grease followed and overwhelmed the researcher. "Oi, Lin, where's the dining area?"

"It's over there," a sleepy voice responded. Everyone's attention shifted to the couch. Asami uncurled from herself, and she combed her fingers through her messy hair. A small yawn escaped her lips, and she stood up. "That was a good nap." She turned around, without missing a beat, bowed and greeted her new guests. "Hello, are you Lin-san and Davis-hakase's friends? My name is Yamasaka Asami." Her dark eyes were glassy as she smiled vaguely at the three.

John and Takigawa set the pizzas on the coffee table in fear of dropping them. Matsuzaki stepped forward with glossy eyes, "M-M-Mai…? Is that really you?" Her hands flew to her mouth to hide the trembling of her red lips.

The now awake woman simply tilted her head to the side, dull eyes crinkled with her welcoming smile. "Well, that's the second time, now. Isn't that right, Hakase?" She giggled sweetly. She opened a drawer at the bottom of the coffee table and pulled out a pad of light blue sticky notes and a pen. In flowing hiragana, she wrote out the phonetic pronunciation of her name: A-sa-mi. Takigawa and John watched closely, their hearts breaking all the while. Asami looked up at Oliver and gave him an apologetic bow. "I'm so sorry for falling asleep in the middle of our conversation, Davis-Hakase. If you would like, we can continue from where we left off?" she suggested.

The three irregular members of SPR unconsciously stepped back as the researcher approached her, giving them space. "What do you remember from our discussion?" he questioned.

Asami tapped at her chin as she thought. "Hakase… You asked me about what's been going on for the past few days, right?"

Oliver's silent stare was disconcerting to the others, but Asami seemed unaffected. She still had that dreamy smile and that damnable glassy gaze. John frowned and fished out a box from his pocket. He opened the glass casing and offered it to the woman with a genial smile on his face, "Here, Ma-ah… Asami-san, I would like ya to have this."

Asami took the gold rosary from the box, and the lines on her forehead smoothed. "Oh, my… how beautiful! Why I couldn't, umm…." She held it close to her heart and gave a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name."

John's smile faltered slightly, and his brows puckered. "Oh, Ah… Ah'm… John, umm… Brown, John. But you can just call me John."

"Why, that would hardly be proper, Brown-san!" Asami giggled as her fingers played with the rosary. She turned to look at Matsuzaki and Takigawa. "Thank you for bringing lunch, it had totally slipped my mind at the time! Let me show you to the kitchen." The two wordlessly took the pizza from the coffee table and followed the younger woman out of the living room.

John watched them leave with sad look on his face. On the way there, Ayako had him and Takigawa carry the boxes, so she wouldn't get grease on her outfit and to keep the smell from settling into her hair and clothes. "There's nothing wrong with her spiritually, John," Oliver informed the priest. Though there was a measure of resentment towards the group, he had always felt the least annoyed with the mild-mannered Catholic.

Lin finally dared to show his face in the living room. "We arrived yesterday, Brown-san. The elements of this investigation are still elusive, but… Naru's line of questioning led to some… interesting developments…." He had hesitated in using the researcher's old nickname, but it felt odd calling him by his full English name in the presence of their former team.

Oliver's glare branded his assistant a traitor. "A clearer answer is slowly presenting itself, yes," he declared. "However, more information must be collected."

The chilly silence that followed the researcher's statement sent a shiver down John's spine. "Ah… well, in any case" – he smiled shakily – "let's get some lunch in us. Ah'm sure we're all starvin'." The Christian steeled himself for a rough afternoon.

* * *

A stuffy silence engulfed the car. When they both got in and left the studio parking lot, neither knew what to say. Yasuhara's favorite radio station played classical music that they were both too tense to enjoy. All the songs melded together the longer they stayed in the car, and the sweet and hopeful swelling of Bach's "Air" slowly gave way to static as they changed cities. They drove silently with the auditory snow, blankly looking ahead as they still attempted to process what was about to happen.

When they reached Yokohama, Masako turned off the radio, which had changed to a local pop station. There was another few minutes of silence until they reached a red stoplight. "Do you really think Davis… Shibuya-san found Mai? I mean, it's been so long…." she finally asked.

Yasuhara shrugged as he leaned his forehead against the steering wheel. "Maybe. Naru is a genius, right? And he never really believed that Mai was dead to begin with. I can still remember how mad he was when we even suggested it." It was hard to forget a heated room that instantly plummeted from 30 degrees down to 7, after all. "Although he didn't keep in touch, we all knew by then how persistent that guy was… _is_ when it comes to investigating the disappearance of those close to him."

She gazed out the passenger's window and pouted. "Even so, it was awful of him to keep us in the dark," she huffed.

Yasuhara leaned back into his seat and the light changed a moment later. "Well, Naru isn't exactly the forgiving type." He frowned as he thought back. "And it's not like we really tried to hear him out, either. We all just assumed that he was in denial. Mai wasn't… _isn't_ his twin. How did he know that she was still alive, when all the evidence we had showed otherwise?"

Masako's shoulders slumped. "He did try to tell us at the hospital." Her eyes slid away from the window and down to her lap. "It's like you said, though: we all just assumed he was in denial, and we just… ignored him, assumed, and jumped to conclusions."

Yasuhara gave a dry chuckle. "And we all know how much Naru hates people who did that."

The medium smiled, and there was a short pause of nostalgia. Then the line of her lips abruptly dropped. "Except Mai. That idiot was always jumped to conclusions and hurried into danger, but he always seemed to have the uncharacteristic heart to forgive such misdeeds when it came to her." Masako's hands clenched in her laps she looked up and straight out the windshield. "Taniyama Mai was loud, brash, and far too soft for his line of work." There was a burning behind her eyes, and her nose tickled. She bit the inside of her cheek and drew in a deep breath. _And I was resentful of the times when those traits were successful in provoking a reaction from him,_ her thoughts finished.

"Aa, but it was _because_ she was like that that Naru would finally feel something. She would always challenge him, criticize him, and poke at his ego. None of us really ever did such things, at least not to the same extent. Takigawa, Matsuzaki, and I could hardly crack through his shell with whatever teasing we did. " Yasuhara smiled fondly as he remembered how they would try to poke fun at him, never really able to even begin to prick at his ego.

At this, Masako perked up. turned her head and raised her brow at her manager. "Is that so?"

Yasuhara's eyes flitted to meet hers for a split second before they refocused on the road, "Oh yeah, I mean, he'd get annoyed sure, cut us off, or have some wort of witty rejoinder or quip, but he never rose to the bait as readily as he would with Mai. Something about her really got under his skin."

The medium leaned back against her seat. She turned her head to look out the window again. "I never noticed," she lied.

Her manager slowed the car to a gentle stop and turned off the engine. "Naru wasn't an easy read back then; I doubt he is even now. You shouldn't take it to heart." He got out of the car and went to her side to open her door.

She accepted his hand as she stood and looked around. It was clean and decent, and the house in front of her was modestly beautiful. Yasuhara locked the car, and they made their way past the open gate, politely closing it behind them. As they went up the stony walkway, they could hear a faint voice; the volume of which intensified with every step closer. After they approached the door, another voice joined, softer than the last, followed by an undignified shriek.

Yasuhara raised a fist, but Masako stopped him from knocking, pointing to the gap of the door. "It was left open, like the gate."

"How queer," he murmured. An open gate was one thing, but an open front door was another. Masako shushed him and motioned to the door. They both pressed an ear to the slit.

"I'm sorry, but all of you are not needed!" the loud voice shouted. "I only called for Davis-hakase who brought Lin-san." There was a short pause. "If you needed more people, why didn't you tell me beforehand? This house doesn't have enough rooms for everyone, and we don't need this many people to handle such a case of possession."

The two of them drew back. Yasuhara looked down at Masako. She narrowed her eyes in focus; however, she quickly thinned her lips and shook her head. At this, her manager gave two, almost inaudible, knocks before they silently entered the house. They closed and locked the front door and changed into some guest slippers.

As they approached the source of the yelling, they heard a familiar, calm voice, "Of course, Yamasaka; however, I did not invite any of these people," it came in a near hiss. To whom the hostility was aimed was a mystery. "While you were in school, they interrupted my questioning your sister."

"Questioning?!"

"Yes. If you expect me to get anything done, I require information. I need to ask questions, perform tests, and compile information to determine the true cause of your sister's condition."

"Ugh! Like I've said a thousand times already: she's just possessed. I don't need an investigation, just an exorcism!"

There was a tired sigh. Masako and Yasuhara rounded the corner and entered the living room. It looked like Naru was arguing with an irate high school girl. She must have just come home because she still wore her uniform. Strands of black hair had come loose from her tight-looking French braid, either from time or arguing with the man in front of her. Her black eyes were in a fierce glare that was perfectly mirrored by Naru. Speaking of... time had definitely been kind to him. He was still as irritatingly handsome as they remembered him to be, and then some. "And as I have said multiple times…" he began again.

"No one in this house is possessed," Masako stated bluntly as she stepped forward. Naru turned to glare at her and frowned. She was unsure if it was because she interrupted him, or because he just didn't want to see them. She returned his icy glare with one of her own, "It was incredibly rude of you to have not kept in contact over all these years."

Naru said nothing, but Takigawa rolled his eyes. "He explained to us earlier that he found 'no need' to keep us in the loop about his investigation on Mai."

"Wha…? Wait, you're Hara Masako; I've seen you on TV before!" The annoyance and anger drained away from the high schooler's face. Her defensive posture relaxed, and she looked genuinely lost and confused.

Masako and Yasuhara bowed, and the girl scrambled to show proper manners. "As you know, she is Hara Masako; I am her manager, Yasuhara Osamu," Yasuhara introduced politely. He stopped himself from handing her one of his business cards – pesky habit.

"Oh, um… I'm Yamasaka Shinobu, welcome to my home!" she greeted nervously. "I apologize if I sound rude," she started honestly, "but why are you here… in my living room?"

The handsome manager smiled cordially as he held her gaze. He easily bent the truth and their true intentions in coming, "We are old friends of Davis-hakase and Lin-san. We were earlier notified about your sister's condition, and our aid was requested."

"So you're going to help exorcise the spirit possessing my sister?"

Masako looked around and shook her head again, "I'm sorry, Yamasaka-san, but your sister isn't being possessed. They aren't even any spirits in this house, or even near this general vicinity."

Yamasaka took a shaky step forward, "What? What do you mean she's not possessed? What else could it possibly be?!" As her hands reached out towards the medium, her manager stepped between them.

"If there's some affliction with your sister, then the cause of it is something else. It is not possession." With a frown, she gestured to Naru. "That's what Shi… _Davis-hakase_ was trying to tell you earlier." She had been tempted to spit the title, but she had too much dignity for that.

"Everyone, dinner is ready. Ma- I mean, Asami is setting up the table now." Ayako came into the living room. She spotted Masako and Yasuhara and smiled. "Hey, you two, glad you could make it for dinner. I told Asami to set up a place for you two in case you came."

"Who's Asami?" Yasuhara asked.

"My sister," Yamasaka responded firmly before she strode to the dining area. Oliver narrowed his eyes as he and Lin followed.

John and Takigawa looked at each other, then towards the miko. She glanced at them and then jerked her head in the direction of the dining area. They quietly obeyed. Ayako looked back to the medium and her manager. Her brows puckered, and her smile was subdued, "You'll see. When you meet her…. Try not to stare." She turned around and led the two to dinner. "Oh, and… don't call her-"

Masako audibly gasped when they made it to the dining area. "Mai…!" She covered her gaping mouth with a sleeve.

The woman did not seem to hear her, however, and she spoke to Naru and argued with Yamasaka Shinobu. It was when she sighed and looked away that she spotted them. She bowed and smiled. "Good evening, I'm Yamasaka Asami. You two must be… Hara-san and Yasuhara-san, right? Matsuzaki-san told me you would join us for dinner and help Davis-hakase. I just finished setting the table, so please feel free to sit wherever you'd like."

Without a word, Naru ignored whatever tension and drama that was brewing and took a seat. He began to eat, not having said a word of gratitude, and Shinobu's eye's narrowed at what she possibly considered to be an insult. Lin murmured a quiet thanks for the food before uneasily following suit at a much slower pace, unsure and obviously uncomfortable.

Shinobu took Asami's arm and dragged her to Masako. "Look at her. Please, _really_ look…!" she begged.

Masako looked into Asami's eerily vacant eyes. She felt unsettled by the unseeing stare, but there were no spirits. She sighed and laid a hand on Shinobu's shoulder. "Please, Yamasaka-san, you need to accept that your…. _sister_ is not being possessed."

Shinobu stared blankly at the medium. She turned her gaze away and to Naru. An inelegant guffaw broke from her lips as she glared down at him. "Well, if there really _isn't_ a spirit possessing my sister, then I don't think I need your help after all." Her annoyed eyes swept over everyone in the room as she let go of her sister. "So thanks for coming, everyone, but you can all leave after dinner." She gestured to the food.

A stunned silence followed her venomous gratitude; the only sound came from the clinking of Naru and Lin's silverware. Asami turned around and promptly slapped her sister. The piercing sound snapped them out of their daze. "Stop being such a brat," she admonished with slit, dull eyes. "These are good people. They are friends of Davis-hakase, whom _you_ invited in the first place." She glared at her sister. "Davis-hakase only wants to help; he is _trying_ to help, but your complete lack of cooperation is hindering his work. You attitude overall towards our guests, _your_ guests, has been beyond abhorrent. I know Ojii-sama had taught you better. _I_ taught you better."

Asami sat down across from Naru and continued to glare at a stunned Shinobu. "You made your bed, and so shall you lay. We will fully cooperate with Davis-hakase and his associates. Now sit down and eat your dinner." Shinobu reluctantly took the seat next to her sister and mumbled her thanks. Her hair was a mess, but she didn't bother to fix it. She meekly nibbled at a piece of green bell pepper, face scrunching. Perhaps she didn't prefer the taste, but she dared not refuse to eat it under her sister's eye. Asami released a loud sigh. "Thank you." She smiled at the open stares. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but I promise that we will do our best to help."

Naru set down his silverware and wiped his mouth. "I only need you two to answer my questions honestly. We will conduct an experiment before you go to sleep tonight." Lin stood up and left. "Lin and I will set up the living room. Come in when you are finished." Naru glared at the others. "You are all familiar with this, so I'm sure you'll know what to do," he said as he followed his assistant out. He stopped at the doorway and glanced back. "And what _not_ to do," he warned before leaving the dining area completely. The tension melted slightly as he left. Takigawa stuck out his tongue, and Yasuhara made small talk. Dinner passed and finished uneventfully, not a word further exchanged between the two sisters.


	6. Chapter 5: Their Whole Story

A/N: Sooooooo **I messed up. Lin's got a brother,** apparently. Oops…. Ah, well, I'll get it right next time. Thanks to **Agwen** for telling me! Anyways we're getting to the end of the line. This chapter will wrap up the mystery, but will still leave a few things hanging. After this comes the epilogue, and it'll bring some emotional closure for Mai and Naru. Congratulations to **Shunakoo25** and **CrescentMoonTenshi** for solving the mystery by chapter 4! Y'all are some natural, Sherlocks!

 **About the title change** : this fic was originally named "The Lost," but I changed it because I felt like I was hitting the nail a little too hard on the head with both it and what I had originally wrote. There was a lot more title-dropping that I wanted to avoid. Changing the title to "Lost and Found" was an impulsive decision I made just as I uploaded the prologue, and I regretted it for a long while since it hardly made a difference after I went through and edited and revised the chapters, so I changed it back to the original title.

On a more unrelated, but still kinda related, note: we all know I made Naru out to be a bitter bear throughout the story… well, I hope you like your chocolate dark cos' he's fractionally bitterer, and maybe even a bit more hostile, in this chapter. Num num-num-num-num! Apologies for any redundancies or anything that seems to be unnecessary. Please enjoy our climax (HA! Phrasing, BOOM!) **Constructive criticism is** _ **always**_ **welcome**.

 **To my reviewers:**

 **Shunakoo25** , drama and deceit is happening, and I'm soooooo happy you're enjoying all of it! Naru's been through some tough times after Mai went missing (the extent of which will be expounded on in the epilogue), so there is some reason behind his bitterness, yes. Our climax is here, and all the answers to our mystery will/should be revealed here!

 **LadyHawke361** , DING-DING-DING-DING! WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER! Congratulations on solving the mystery! I'm sending you a PERSONALIZED invisible trophy now! It's shaped like a pipe and magnifying glass in honor of Sherlock Holmes and you. It's gonna be the biggest and bestest invisible trophy ever, I swear. Seriously though, great work, detective! :D

 **soulsborne123** , aww, flattery will get you _everywhere_ , m'dear! You might get your wish just yet if you care to stick around for the epilogue (chapter 6/7).

 **Agwen** , yeah, old man stressed the eff out and all but disabled after the fire. I wish I had the time to make a bigger conspiracy like the one you listed, but, sadly, no. Satou Daichi is dead for good. He did basically kidnap Mai because Shinobu is his only remaining relative. The tea business would take a backseat to her happiness and well-being. The reason why he had gone to SPR in the first case was to get some help for controlling Shinobu's powers. She was a very unstable child who was bullied in school due to both her powers and status as an orphan, and she relied heavily on her grandfather and sister for any and all emotional support. When Asami died, he correctly assumed that this would further unhinge Shinobu, so he did what he could to keep her grounded, happy, and alive: replacing her with Mai. Satou Daichi had lost everyone he loved save for his youngest granddaughter, and after the fire, he couldn't even look after her himself. He wasn't evil, not completely. He was merely a desperate, selfish, and pitiful old man on the last legs of his life.

 **CrescentMoonTenshi** , DING-DING-DING! The last part of your theory is correct (your thoughts on Shinobu's side)! Congratulations! Unfortunately, Mai has no new powers in this fic. I'm still sending you a personalized invisible trophy, though. It'll be shaped like a giant, Riddler-esque question mark cuz you and Batman are both awesome enough to solve any mystery or riddle! As for your thoughts on Asami, you are also correct. I wanted to make her a bigger contrast to Mai. Where Mai was never afraid of conflict, Asami favors diplomacy. I see Mai as more of a spitfire; Asami had that sort of "good and noble, rich young lady" vibe about her. However, Asami had been more ambitious than Mai in wanting to take over the family business once she graduated from college; whereas Mai would be more content in the secretarial department. The Irregulars weren't originally in the story, but I felt there needed to be some confrontation between them since they cared for Mai just as much. Also, Shinobu is far too skeptical of Naru, but Masako was someone she thought was less invested in getting Mai back and was just as renown as Naru. Shinobu's a smart cookie who knows how to avoid a scam. You can't just believe one source, after all, especially when the lies only benefit the liar. Shinobu is integral to the story because of how she serves to counter Naru in a near mirror-like fashion – know-it-all vs. know-it-all, bullhead vs. bullhead, leader vs. leader (student body president vs. head of SPR's Japanese branch), tea purist vs. tea purist. The main non-physical differences between them would be their narcissism (Naru, high; Shinobu, low), their volume (Naru, low; Shinobu, high), and their tolerance for Mai's taste for fruit tea and other gimmicky drinks (Naru, "How dare you"; Shinobu, "I don't care").

* * *

 **Chapter 5:  
** **Their Whole Story**

Shinobu's black eyes glared hatefully at the pretty and completely harmless vase. It sat motionless outside of the white circle that Davis-hakase had drawn on her grandfather's expensive, redwood coffee table just the night before. Nothing else in the living room had been moved. The ping-ponging of proposed hypotheses buzzed as background noise to her ears. She remembered the main details of Davis-hakase's little experiment, his reasons for conducting it the night before, and what such results suggested. Her glare intensified as she silently seethed from her spot, pale hands curling into ghostly white fists. Shinobu heard her sister talking to the hateful man when they entered the room with her and Lin-san holding trays of tea and snacks. She refused to look away from the vase, but she could feel it – the smugness radiating from Davis-hakase.

"You appear dissatisfied with something, Yamasaka Shinobu," he stated plainly with an adjustment of his glasses. Bastard was probably gloating over his victory in his over-sized head.

"So my sister really isn't possessed," she began to grind out between her teeth. "You… were right…." she admitted reluctantly.

The professor said nothing, choosing to silently sip at his tea. However, the other members of the disbanded SPR office filled the silence in his stead.

"Do you think this is Mai?"

"She could be using her powers subconsciously to grab our attention. She was Naru's assistant after all, she would know how this works."

"If she really is Mai, why can't she remember us?"

"Be quiet. I have some questions to ask." Davis-hakase's command interrupted the others'. There was the sound of a clicked tongue, but everyone complied, otherwise. Shinobu looked up at him with a baleful glare. "I know you and Asami talk every morning and every evening. These past few days have interrupted your routine," he told her plainly. "Did you and your sister carry out this morning ritual today?"

"How did you come about this information, Hakase?"

"Don't avoid the question."

Shinobu bit her lip in frustration and looked down at her lap. "No," she mumbled, "we didn't."

"Excellent," Davis-hakase stated in a clipped tone. He stood up and went to Asami. "Please come with me, I have some questions to ask you alone."

Shinobu's head snapped up, and her heart sped, hammering behind her ribs as she watched her sister nod and stand to follow. "No, wait… Where are you taking her? Why just her? What are your intentions?!" Davis-hakase spared not even a glance back as he and Asami left. Instead he told his assistant to not let anyone interrupt them and left without another word. Lin-san guarded the doorway. Damn, he looked like he would be difficult to move. Regardless, Shinobu moved forward. "I'm going, too!" she claimed, but she was stopped when a strong hand fell on her shoulder.

"Naru's an ass for sure," Takigawa-san said with a scowl, "but he's the smartest person we know."

"He's not going to hurt her," Brown-san assured her. "I know he's hard to understand, but please just trust him…."

Matsuzaki-san chimed in, "Yeah, but you have to admit this is a bit strange. Naru's never done this before on past cases."

Hara-san tossed a glare at the older woman. "You aren't helping." The pretty woman shuffled over to Shinobu and laid a calming hand against her back. "Please do not worry. The professor only has your sister's well-being and best interest in mind. You can trust him on that, at the very least."

Shinobu's heavy breathing slowed and softened. She looked Lin-san in the eye and spoke evenly, "If Davis-hakase and Onee-san don't come back in the next ten minutes, I will go to check on them myself."

"You're staying here," he retorted without breaking eye contact.

Her eyes narrowed slightly before she tilted her head slightly and smiled confidently. She played with the tail of her braid as she said, "We'll see."

* * *

Oliver succeeded in putting Asami in a light trance after the shouting in the other room had finally died down. He checked his watch for the sixth time in the span of three minutes. She was out like a light, but there was still no sign of Mai. When she had first closed her eyes, he had waited a minute, and then unsuccessfully called for Mai. After multiple calls, he decided that, rather than trying to force it out of her, he could wait. However, his patience was running thin, and he was sure Yamasaka Shinobu's calm was only temporary.

"I need answers, Mai." No response. "You need to wake up." The researcher took off his glasses and set them on the table, rubbing at the stress building behind his eyes. "Mai, I need you to wake up. I can't make any more progress unless you're awake." The entranced woman remained unresponsive in her chair. Oliver dropped his weary head. "Damn it… Mai…. I actually need your help to solve this case," he confessed. He was so close. A pale hand reached out to clutch at her thin shoulder. _Please._

"Huh… Who would've thought?" the voice was low and sardonic, and it caused his head to snap up. Looking up at her, clear eyes stared back at him. Mai had a smug look on her face, which looked odd with Asami's sweetly feminine hairstyle and dress. "Never thought I'd live to see the day where you would admit to needing my help, Naru." Her chest puffed slightly to show her pride. She still liked to be depended on, no change there.

Naru's lips twitched before they settled in a frown. "Don't look too deeply into it. You _are_ the reason why we're even in this predicament, after all."

Mai laughed nervously and used her free hand to sheepishly scratch her cheek. "Right, haha… umm… sorry about that…." She covered her mouth as she gave a slight cough. "So, umm… I heard the others. How are they? … How were they after I disappeared?"

At her irrelevant questions, Naru glared at her. "Mai, we're on borrowed time. You can ask about such matters later." He did not scowl, but his body had other ways of expressing his anger and complete displeasure at mentioning them. He felt a muscle on his neck twitch and flutter angrily, and his grip on her unconsciously tightened.

"Ow, Naru, that hurts." He let go of her shoulder, and she rubbed it with a worried frown. "What happened? Why are you so mad?"

"How can you _not_ be?"

Mai quirked a confused brow. "Why would I be mad?"

At her complete ignorance, he gave the door a withering glare. "Because, you idiot, they all thought you had died in the fire!" His voice was not as loud as a shout, but it definitely had an edge of fury that bolstered his volume. "If Lin hadn't informed them of Yamasaka yesterday, they would have still thought you were dead," he growled out. "Because of their glaringly incorrect assumption, none of them had even _tried_ to find you. Your current state of well-being is no longer any of their concern."

Mai tensed and cast him a vicious glare. She slapped her hand flat against the table. There was a soft rattling atop the sound of protesting glass and metal. "Stop being such an unforgiving ass, Naru. They made an honest mistake! Not everyone is a genius like you, y'know!" she defended their old friends.

Naru's cold gaze swung back to her, and he returned her scathing look. "I had evidence that proved that you were alive, but they were so _eager_ to kill you off when they saw the wreckage, the certificate. They didn't even want to believe that you were alive. Their 'honest mistake' cost you over five years with a stranger who refuses to acknowledge your existence, who continued to ignore you, so she could project the idealistic image of her dead sister onto you."

Mai's mouth snapped shut at that, and the blood drained from her face. "T-That is…" She licked her lips nervously. "You figured it out…?" her shaky voice had the statement sounding like a question, but she was sure that Naru knew what was going on. "Is that what's happening? What does Shinobu have to do with this? How could you even tell?" Her earlier ire was gone and replaced with shock. Naru said nothing, too angry to want to give her a straight answer. Mai frowned and looked away. "If you don't wanna tell me now, fine. But can you at least tell me how you were able to… wake me up these last couple of times?"

Naru stared at her. There was exactly ten seconds of silence before he finally deemed her worthy of an answer, "Asami informed me that she and Yamasaka Shinobu verbally carry out some sort of morning ritual in order for her to better recollect her lost memories." He gave a mean-spirited smirk. "The girl's an amateur; her hold over you was only tenuous at best. It only took two days since her last reinforcement until you were able to break free from her. It seems your animal-like mind has developed somewhat over the years. Congratulations," he insultingly complimented.

However, Mai did not rise to the bait, which she would have done years ago. Instead, she curled her hand into a fist on the table, focusing on the feeling of her nails biting into the soft skin of her palm. "Oh… that… that makes sense," she said dumbly, knowing yet unknowing. She bit her lip and shook her head slowly. "I feel so bad… like I've been lying to her this whole time."

"That's because you're an idiot, as is she." Naru scoffed. "And you didn't actively lie to her, though you are far from innocent in such a department. Yamasaka was the one who had been lying to herself for the past five years." He glared at her. "Your only crime was being stupid enough and emotional enough to be pulled along in her farce for this long." At that, Mai looked away guiltily. "Yes, Mai, I know that you had been able to wake up on your own a few times before Yamasaka had even considered asking for my help. You were always, and apparently still are, far too easily swayed." He sighed.

Mai's silence goaded him on, to speak and rant and slake his thirst for confrontation, "I've used my powers multiple times since arriving," he confessed. "I saw you looking for us… for me." He took on an accusatory tone, "I know you wanted to find us. I know you wanted to escape from Yamasaka's influence, but you only ever tried to run. I had never thought of you as such a coward, Mai." He gave her a pointed look. "You hadn't even tried to tell her the truth at any of those times."

The silence in the room was deafening, suffocating.

"Omission is the worst lie of all, Mai."

"… And that's why I feel so terrible."

The door slammed open and cracked against the wall. Mai jumped slightly and swept her arm over the table in shock, sending notes, pens, her folded shawl, and Oliver's glasses clattering to the floor. Though the sound was startling, she and Naru were both unsurprised to find a flustered Shinobu in the open doorway. "Shinobu…" Mai mumbled forlornly.

The girl approached Mai slowly and with wide eyes. "O-Onee-san…?" She reached out a shaking hand to the one person she needed more than anyone else in the world. "Onee—"

"Don't touch her." Naru stood up and blocked Shinobu's path to her. "She is finally awake and fully coherent. The last thing I need is for your delusions to interfere with the investigation that you requested me to conduct."

Shinobu's watery, black eyes snapped to the professor before they slit into a wet glare. " _You_! This is all your fault!" she screeched. "I knew the risks, and yet I was still stupid enough to ask you for help!" She jabbed an impolite finger at his chest. " _You're_ the reason why she started acting out all those months ago; her damn memory of _you_ caused nothing but trouble. _I_ was the one who was there for her. _I_ was the one who protected her from herself!" She shook her head with every word she stressed, black strands escaping her tight French braid to fly around her red face. Her voice rose in volume, nearly yelling at him, "And now _you're_ here trying to tear us apart with your hypnotism and tricks, when you damn well _knew_ that you only had to perform an exorcism on her!"

Naru had nothing more to say to her. Mai stood up and took a step forward. However, his arm was firm in keeping her back. He kept his steady gaze on Shinobu, unwilling to take his eyes off of her. "Mai, stay behind me. You can't get too close to her."

"Naru, please…." Mai pleaded.

A few seconds passed before Naru's arm lowered. Mai took a step forward, but he put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting too close to Shinobu. He glared at the girl and warned her, "Don't try anything, Yamasaka Shinobu."

Shinobu returned his glare, but she was confused. "Try what? To get my sister away from you?" She held out her hand. "C'mon, Onee-san, get away from this creep." There was no response, no movement. The younger girl broke eye contact with the tall man to look at Mai. "Onee-san…?" The woman was unmoving, sullen-faced. "W-What's wrong, Onee-san?"

Mai shook her head and gave a deep bow. "I'm sorry, Shinobu." She rose and straightened her back. Shinobu was shocked by the clarity of her eyes and withdrew a step. "Let's go to the living room. I have a lot of explaining to do and many apologies to give." Mai did not brush off Naru's hand as she led them out of the base and let him use himself as a buffer between her and Shinobu.

Her eyes watered as she set her sights on people who she had only seen in her memories for the past five years. "H-Hey, everyone," she choked out, "it's b-been a while." She collapsed in an inelegant heap and started crying. Shinobu had never seen her sister so ungraceful…. This… was not her sister….

"M… Mai…?" Bou-san called out.

"Mai!" Ayako flung herself forward and hugged the woman on the ground.

Naru knelt down and patted Mai's back. She looked up with swollen eyes and a blotchy face. Ah, now she definitely looked like the Mai he remembered. He gently took her arm and helped her to stand. "Go take a seat," he said softly.

* * *

Mai sat at the end of the couch with Naru standing to her right, Ayako sitting to her left, and Masako next to Ayako. Bou-san stood behind Ayako. Across from them sat Shinobu, John and Yasuhara standing at either side of her, too uncomfortable to sit beside her with what had transpired. Lin stood behind her seat, his distrustful gaze trained on the seated high school student and his shikigami on hand should she need to be bound.

Naru kept his eyes on Shinobu as he spoke, "Mai, you were able to pull me in and show me what happened during the fire, so you need to tell us what happened between the time you were discharged from the hospital up until the time I had found you."

Mai's shoulders shook as she looked at Shinobu. The poor girl looked so heartbroken. "I-I'm so sorry, Shinobu," she apologized.

"Answers, Mai!" Naru snapped.

"Shut up, Naru!" Ayako sniped back with a glare.

Mai put a hand on Ayako's arm and shook her head. "No… He has a right to be angry." she smiled self-derisively and folded her hands in her lap. "You all do. I pretty much let this go on for years after all…."

"'Let this go on?'" Shinobu repeated. "Onee-san, what do you mean?"

Mai shook her head again and openly grimaced as she held back her tears. "S-Shinobu… I… I'm not your sister," she choked out. "I'm not Yamasaka Asami. I'm Taniyama Mai…." She wiped away a stray tear and sniffled. "I'm an only child… and I was working for Naru at SPR when we first met. I had first met you and your grandfather on the night of the fire." More tears came, and she wiped errantly at them. Ayako lent her a handkerchief, and Mai thanked her quietly as she accepted it.

Shinobu stood slightly, arm reaching out to Mai. Naru instantly reacted and stepped in front of Mai. "Stay seated, Yamasaka Shinobu," he commanded. "If you try to approach her again, we will leave, and you will get no answers." The girl's face scrunched in displeasure at his threat, but he could honestly not care any less for her.

"You're being mean, Naru," Mai's voice interrupted the silence of their staring contest. She smacked a hand against his back, "Stop being such a jerk!"

Naru turned his head slightly to look at her from the side of his eye, "You and I both know how dangerous Yamasaka Shinobu is" – he faced forward again and put his eye back on the high school student – "as does everyone else in this room, with the exception of the girl herself." Mai made no sound or move to disagree with him, and everyone else looked away sheepishly as Naru and Lin kept their focus on Shinobu who looked more than a little confused at the statement.

Mai chose that time to lean over the arm of the couch to look at Shinobu. She gave the girl a small smile and spoke in a polite tone, "Please sit down, Shinobu, or this jerk won't move away." She poked Naru's arm but received no response. Shinobu squinted her eyes, as if she were trying to see past an optical illusion. Asami was never so informal towards anyone, and she never resorted to name-calling, claiming it to be immature.

Mai could understand the dissonance in Shinobu's mind at the moment. However, her request seemed to have worked, as the girl slowly leaned back and sat down on her couch. Mai grinned and sat back properly against her seat. However, the sight in front of her had her glaring up at Naru. She hit his broad back again. "Please move, Naru. I would like to look at Shinobu while I talk to her. I don't want your butt in my face the entire time," she griped with crossed arms. A few seconds ticked by, then another smack against his back as she shouted, "Seriously, Naru, MOVE IT!"

"And here I thought I was being a good friend and doing you a favor," he said with a shake of his head. He moved back to his original place and was unable to stop the smirk when he saw her red and puffed up cheeks.

"Doing me a…? Ugh, how are you still such a narcissist?!" she cried out, punctuating her words with a jab of her finger to his arm with each syllable.

"Stop that, Mai. I never paid you nearly enough for you to be able to repair even just the sleeve of this suit, and I doubt your current job pays you even half as well." Nevertheless he moved away, so she could see Shinobu again.

Mai's lips thinned, and her shoulders hunched. She looked near ready to explode. Then, she took a deep breath and put her hands in front of her as a gesture to calm herself. "No, now's not the time." She pointed a manicured finger at Naru's face. "Later," she threatened.

She refocused her attention to the very confused Shinobu. The poor girl kept getting shock after shock it seemed. Mai took another deep breath. "During the fire, I had helped you and your grandfather out of the house and had gone back inside for your sister, the _real_ Yamasaka Asami. But before I knew it, there was a huge gust of hot air that blew me away from her door, and I had fallen down the stairs." She rubbed a hand against the spot on her head, where she once sported an enormous lump.

"I was found and sent to a hospital. When I had finally been able stay awake for longer than two minutes, the doctor tried to tell me about my condition, but I had still been so tired and disoriented from the fire, that I couldn't really understand everything he said, just that I had a concussion." She ground the heel of her palm into her temple and frowned. "I had no idea why I was in the hospital. In my mind, I was still Taniyama Mai, only child, fourteen years old, and still new to being an orphan. When the doctor had realized that there was this enormous gap in my memories, he diagnosed me with reteri-something amnesia."

"Retrograde amnesia, most likely" Ayako corrected her. "To be clearer, it sounds like you had post-traumatic retrograde amnesia brought about by your concussion. That's quite a lot of memories to have forgotten. Usually people will forget days or weeks; it's rare for people to forget such so much."

Naru held a curled finger to his lip as he remembered the fire. "Then again, her head did pinball down the stairs before she nearly cracked it on the floor. Add that to smoke inhalation, and it really is no wonder."

Mai nodded. "At the time, I had forgotten about three or four years of my life; it's obvious to say that I didn't remember anything about or anyone from SPR… and that's when Satou Daichi filled in the gaps for me." She held Shinobu's gaze and sadly told her, "He told me that his late son had adopted me when I was fifteen, and in the process, I had allowed him to change my full name. He told me that I went by 'Yamasaka Asami' instead of 'Taniyama Mai' now, and that I had a little sister named 'Yamasaka Shinobu.'

"When I asked for proof, he just shook his head and told me that the adoption papers and our family photos had been lost to the fire. He constantly told me that I was his granddaughter, that I was your sister. No one else had said otherwise; the doctor and nurses had even agreed with him and called me 'Yamasaka Asami…'so I believed him. I believed that I really had been adopted and renamed 'Yamasaka Asami' and that I had a little sister. However, when Satou-san had showed your picture to me in the hospital, something felt… off. For some reason, I didn't feel much after seeing you. I'm honestly surprised you didn't say anything either since it doesn't seem like you knew about your grandfather's lie, and I look nothing like you or your sister, no family resemblance to speak of."

"Y-You…" Shinobu stuttered and looked away. She closed her eyes, brows pinching as she attempted to recall her biological sister's true features. The image easily came to mind: long, black hair contrasting with pearl-white skin, narrow black eyes able to discern the best quality of leaves, and a tall and willowy figure. It was near opposite Mai's brown hair, wide brown eyes, and shorter stature. "You… You _don't_ …. How didn't I see it? There's absolutely no resemblance." Shinobu shook her head with a rueful smile. "She could even brew better than I ever could, and she never drank fruit tea. You two were so different… _are_ so different…. How…?"

"Shock, most likely, compounded with the trauma of the fire," Ayako interjected again with a professional and knowing air. "The longer you two cohabited, your mind seemed to have suppressed and replaced memories of your sister with Mai."

Yasuhara then turned to Mai with a tilted head. " _You_ felt like something was wrong. Why hadn't you said anything? You'd never had any troubling with voicing your opinions before."

"I couldn't remember the past few years….I hadn't really in a place to trust my own thoughts," Mai defended herself to her former coworker.

"I've told you before, you have animal-like instincts." Naru scoffed and rolled his eyes. "And yet you chose that moment to go against your intuition."

Mai pouted. "I forgot. And how could I have trusted myself as an amnesiac?" At that Naru said nothing, but folded his arms with a tight frown. She continued, "I was able to leave the hospital about two and a half weeks after the fire. Satou-san had a stroke during the fire and couldn't move well by himself, so he told me he would be staying in the hospital. He told me how you had already moved into a new house in Yokohama and how I should go and look after you. He kept telling me that everything was burned in the fire, and how we needed to support each other." Mai shook her head at the memory. "I had been so confused, so guilty. When I moved into this house with you, it didn't feel right." She looked up at Shinobu with furrowed brows. "It had all felt so wrong. I felt like an intruder….

"I couldn't live off the money given to me by a man I couldn't remember, adopted or not, so I had used just enough of his money for some clothes and found a nice job at a small café. At the very least, I was sure I could work as a server. I had been able to make back the money I spent with my first paycheck, and I felt better." She smiled. "I was working, earning my keep, and looking after my family." Mai's lips quavered and fell. "But in the middle of working, a few weeks after I had paid Satou-san back… I remembered. I remembered everything."

She stared at her shaking hands. "I was, am, Taniyama Mai. I had never been adopted, I didn't change my name, and I was an employee at the Japanese branch of SPR. I think the shock had me forgetting some of the new memories I had made because I couldn't recognize my co-workers or my boss. When I saw myself, my reflection surprised me; I didn't look like myself. But everything sorta melted together when I saw my nametag." She curled her hands into firsts and looked up. "I had remembered the fire, the hospital, and living as Yamasaka Asami for almost three months. When everything clicked, I had asked the owner for the rest of the day off and went to Midoriya Hospital to confront Satou-san."

At this Naru interrupted her, "Midoriya? Weren't you committed to Aomori?"

Mai looked to her old boss. "We were at Aomori at first, but Satou-san had us transferred to Midoriya when Shinobu felt better and came to live here with a housekeeper." When she finished explaining, she turned back to Shinobu and continued, "When I saw your grandfather, he looked thinner, weaker than I remembered, and when he saw me, he knew. He even asked how I was, how Taniyama Mai was feeling. Then, he confessed…. He told me that he had looked into my past while I had been hospitalized and knew that I was an orphan.

"The real Yamasaka Asami had died in the fire and had burned badly enough that he had been able to falsely identify her as me since I had no next of kin to confirm or contradict his claim. He told me that he lied about adopting me and renaming me for your sake. He apologized, but he also explained you to me. When he had first tried to tell you that your sister had died, you kept denying it, so he came up with this plan. He asked me to pretend to be Yamasaka Asami, at least until you were old enough and well enough to accept the truth.

"He begged me, and even tried to bribe me, but… I couldn't…. I had to tell you the truth; lying to you was wrong. I went back to the café and quit my job, since I was thinking to go back to SPR, and then I went grocery shopping on my way home. I thought making your favorite foods for dinner would help to cushion the blow, but… when I got back… you were holding the phone, staring at the wall." She frowned at the memory. "You were completely unresponsive, so I took the phone from you." Tears welled in her eyes as she shook. "The doctors told me about Satou-san, and I felt like it was my fault. I told him I wouldn't lie to you, and the worry, the stress from it must have strained his heart until he couldn't take it anymore.

"I felt so guilty, but I still couldn't stop myself from wanting to tell you the truth, Shinobu. I wouldn't mind living together, but you needed to know the truth. I wanted to tell you this, to tell you everything, but you took my hand. You looked me in the eye and told me, asked me, 'Ojii-san is dead. How are you not sadder?"

Shinobu's eyes were wide as she recalled the day they received the news. "You looked sad, but not in a way that a granddaughter would look, no matter how old or mature. We had been so close to him, after all." She folded into herself slightly and looked away. "I remember looking into your eyes and seeing a stranger. You felt so far away; it were as if you were about to physically walk out of my life. I just thought I had to keep you here, no matter what. I had already lost everyone else"—she looked back to Mai—"but I couldn't lose my sister."

Mai smiled sadly. "And that's when I disappeared. You locked me away and brought back Asami." It sounded like an accusation, but her face and tone didn't reflect it. "It stayed that way for years, but then you got curious and looked inside me. It was like you poked a hole in the wall you built around me that night. I was able to come out little by little thanks to that, and I could feel Asami and I slowly becoming one, though not completely. Because of how Asami felt towards you… how _I_ felt… all my attempts to leave were honestly half-assed because of it. I should have chosen one complete action: either to tell you the truth, or to continue living as Yamasaka Asami. I should never have tried to attempt both like an idiot." She bowed her head to Shinobu. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"But how?" John asked. "Mai obviously isn't being, or rather wasn't being, possessed. How was Yamasaka Asami able to take over her body for such a long time?"

Naru nodded and looked at Shinobu. "Yamasaka Shinobu, you've always known that you could perform psychometry; however, you were unaware of your dormant ability to manipulate memories, which most likely became active after the fire." He stared into Shinobu's eyes, looking through her and with all the accusation and resentment Mai could not muster. "You subconsciously knew that Mai was not your sister, so you had been unconsciously using that very unknown power to suppress Mai's memories from before the fire all while projecting your own memories and perceptions into her mind." He nodded to Mai but kept his eyes on Shinobu. "That's why all of Yamasaka Asami's memories of the past were not seen from her own eyes.

"Your ability to suppress and project memories is untrained, and it appears that you are currently able to exercise it due to your stress. Your fear of Yamasaka Asami disappearing, the subconscious fear of Taniyama Mai's return, combined with the anxiety from the possibility of abandonment by whom you perceived to be your remaining family member kept your mind under constant stress – enough so for you to be able to use these powers. The morning and evening conversations you would have with Asami were small, but daily reinforcements of your power over Mai. You would deny Mai's existence, suppress her, and project your memories of Asami into her mind each time."

Shinobu flinched back. Her face was pale and her eyes wide; she looked slightly horrified. "N-No, I can't do any of that. I can only perform psychometry." Shinobu hugged her arms to herself. "I spent so much time studying parapsychology and training myself, so I would know if I was capable of something like… memory manipulation…. Wouldn't I?"

Naru shook his head. "If you were only capable of psychometry, then how were you able to leave this room without being chased, and without hurting anyone?"

Shinobu tensed at his question. "I-I… I…"

"If I had been confined and wanted to escape, I would have to hurt my detainers with my powers, I wouldn't be able to manipulate them in such a way that no one would notice I was missing until I came back," Naru explained. John and Yasuhara shifted at Shinobu's side.

"What? N… No way! You guys remember being in here with me when they left right?" No one answered her. Everyone but Lin, Naru, and Mai looked away to avoid her gaze and her question. "Right?" she weakly echoed her question. She curled her fists in her lap and trembled. "Everyone was talking; I thought they were distracted. I was just imagining the room without me in it and was able to sneak out." She inhaled a horrified gasp and clutched at her hair. "I thought I had just gotten lucky, but I was using some power? A power that I'd been using to erase someone else's existence?!" Shinobu pulled her legs up to her and curled into a ball. "What kind of monster am I?!" she sobbed.

Mai stood up and reached over to lay a hand on Shinobu's head.

"MAI!" Naru shouted, pulling her arm back. "You idiot, she's completely unstable!"

"And I wonder whose fault that is?" Mai retorted sarcastically. She was unsure if the accusation in her voice was aimed towards Naru, or herself. "I asked you to be gentle with her, Naru," she brought up again. "She was just in elementary school when we met…. She's just a high schooler now; she's still just a child… a scared one." She gently guided his hand away. "She was only doing what she could to protect herself… to protect her sister…." Mai went over to Shinobu and leaned down to hug her.

The girl uncurled from herself to cling to Mai. "I-I'm sorry, Mai-san. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you. Please don't hate me!"

In his mind's eye, Naru saw a sobbing child. A vandalized notebook was half-hidden by a disrupted pile of soft toys as its owner clung desperately to Mai. _"Please don't hate me!"_ The face and voice of the little girl assimilated with the teen-aged Shinobu. Mai craned her head back to look at him, and he glared at her. _Damn, she knows._

"I don't hate you. I'm not mad," Mai assured the girl and tucked a loose strand of black hair behind her small ear. "I'm just sorry you had to find out this way, Shinobu."

"Don't encourage her, Mai," Naru said with no little amount of exasperation, rubbing his temples. "She's a walking hazard to you. The last thing you need is to comfort the person who's practically been brainwashing you for five years now."

John moved over to let Mai sit next to Shinobu on the couch. She uttered a quiet thanks and sat down next to the sobbing child. Shinobu hiccupped and hid her face against Mai's shoulder, as a warm hand rubbed her back. Naru's glare had been nearly boring a hole through the side of her head as she ignored him. After a few more seconds, she turned her eyes to him. She gazed at him with big, sad eyes. She no longer had the fire to argue with him. "Well, what would you have done? I told you when you first came that she was just like us. The truth was always there, so nothing's changed since then. She's still just like us, Naru."

Naru's glare was replaced with an impassive face. "Maybe so," he admitted, "however, it doesn't change the fact that she's dangerous as she is now."

"I'm sure we could find someone to train her. We could ask your parents, or maybe even Madoka, for some references. Who knows… maybe she'll become a valuable asset to you, or to SPR?" Mai pleaded her case. "You're the genius here, the logical and smart one. Wouldn't it be most beneficial to you and your parents to help Shinobu control her powers, to keep a lid on her stress and emotions? She could even help you guys get in and out of sticky situations, or be a way for SPR to get their hands on some more confidential information."

Mai stood up to better look him in the eye. "Just take me out of the equation, and think it over: if SPR had found someone like Shinobu, without this whole mess, she'd be taken in in a heartbeat. Someone like her is too powerful, too valuable, to keep going alone." She took a step closer to Naru, getting into his space and seeming to challenge his authority. "You know I'm right. You know this is the right thing to do, the _smart_ thing to do. Doing something stupid because your feelings told you to is _my_ thing, not yours."

There was a silent pause. A few seconds ticked by and Naru turned his head away from her, choosing to stare at a blank space on the wall instead. Bou-san laughed at the tight downturn of Naru's mouth and the complete lack of rejection. "Five years, and you finally learned how to properly argue against Naru!" He clutched at his sides and peered past Naru to her. "Is this something you learned from the café?"

"No!" Mai stuck out her tongue. "That was _persuasion_ , not arguing! And I'll have you know that Asami had gotten another job as a secretary to help pay for Satou-san's funerary expenses." She crossed her arms. "I learned it from her, and she learned it from the marketing consultants."

"You're right about her being beneficial to SPR. Lin, contact Luella and Martin." The tall man nodded and pulled out his phone. Mai smiled and open her mouth, possibly to thank him, but Naru stopped her with a glare. "Regardless," Naru interjected, "of Yamasaka Shinobu's admission to SPR you are _not_ ," he stressed, "staying with her, or to see her again, Mai."

"What?"

Naru bent at his waist to bring his face closer to Mai's. The poor woman was blushing at their proximity. She could sniff out a faint, warm scent from his pomade-slicked hair, but his fierce glare broke any semblance of intimacy between them. It remained firmly in place as he explained, "Unfortunately, as true as your claims might be, I cannot in good conscience allow you to stay with her. God knows when you'll just up and disappear again." His eyes flickered to look at Shinobu out of the corner of his eye before returning to Mai. "I don't know how I have to keep reminding you, but you were gone for _over five years_ without a word or a trace until Yamasaka Shinobu slipped up. Do you know how much you worried everyone, Mai? How everyone felt when you couldn't be found? And how could you have been such an idiot to not tell anyone where you were going?" he scolded.

"It sounded like an emergency! And my phone died when I got into the taxi!" Mai defended herself.

"We just found you, Mai," his tone reflected his exhaustion and irritation in dealing with her soft heart. "I'm not going to risk your safety in order to appease your kidnapper. You are _not_ going to stay with her," he firmly stated.

"P-Please don't take her away." All eyes looked to Shinobu. "I'm so, so, _so_ sorry for what I did! But please… _please_ don't take my sister away from me!" Her grip on Mai tightened, as she begged with eyes wide with fear.

"Mai is _not_ your sister."

"You're wrong, Naru." He turned to Mai with a look that told her to be quiet, but she continued, "I've been living as Shinobu's sister for five years. Every time I woke up, stayed awake, a little bit of Asami bled into me. Even though I can't feel her any more, her feelings for Shinbu are still inside of me." She stroked Shinobu's hair, combing the escaped wisps away from her pale face. When the girl looked up at her, Mai smiled tenderly and said, "Even if there is no blood between us, we are still sisters." The girl smiled in relief and wrapped her arms around her neck. A fresh wave of tears wracked her body. Everyone was watching them, but only Naru's eyes seemed to disapprove of her statement. She met his gaze; her inner fire having returned in her desire to support the girl. "I want to stay with Shinobu."

There was a soft gasp, but neither Mai nor Naru broke away from their staring contest; neither willing to back down from their stances. As Mai tightened her arms around the sobbing girl, Naru's jaw tightened. "Mai… are you sure? After everything that's happened?" Bou-san asked.

"It's because of everything that happened that I am sure," Mai responded. Her eyes searched Naru's. "Please. You didn't listen to a single thing I asked of you since you found me, so… please, Naru…." she begged. Tears were starting to form and her brows furrowed as the stubborn lock of his jaw refused to change no matter what she said. She tightened her arms around Shinobu. "Please," she pled once more.

Everyone held their breath as they all waited for his response. He refused to acknowledge Mai's wish, or at least wanted to refuse it, but she was her own person. He was suddenly made aware of his lack of power, lack of influence in her decisions. What could he possibly do? She was no longer employed under him, so he had no ultimatum to present. They were friends, yes, but partly estranged at this point. Of course, they weren't lovers or related in any other way, so she hardly had an obligation to obey him. However, her eyes were pleading, asking for his permission, begging for his approval. Mai was still such an enigma to him. Finally, the tension in Naru's jaw melted away. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and released a long, suffering sigh. "Fine, Mai, I'll allow it."

Mai beamed. "Naru!"

He held up a finger to quiet her and to indicate his next words. "But… I have a set of conditions…."


	7. Epilogue: Their Happy Ending

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. These past two weeks were hectic at work, then I visited my mom for an early Mother's Day… and then got sick…. So, yeah… sorry…. :P Also I just realized I never described Shinobu's appearance in the least… oops. Went back and added some details. In case you don't wanna reread for those two or three extra lines (I don't blame you) she's a pale, slender girl. She stands stiffly straight due to her upbringing and the image she thinks a student council president must project and is about the same height as Mai, though about a centimeter or two taller. She has long, black hair that she keeps in a tight French braid, no fringe. Her eyes are narrower than Mai's and black. Appearance-wise, she greatly resembles the ideal image she saw in Asami, though Asami was taller than both her and Mai; personality-wise, however, Shinobu is much more vocal, assertive, and confrontational, a contrast to Asami's reticent, patient, and diplomatic ways. They are, were, both highly ambitious individuals aiming to continue their family's tea business.

If you have any more questions, you can always leave it in the reviews or PM me! Sorry if Naru seems a bit OOC! Last time I get to say this for this fic, but **constructive criticism is** _ **always**_ **welcome.** I'm currently outlining another _Ghost Hunt_ fanfic, but don't hold your breath. I'm doing my best on it, and I really wanna pump it out, but the middle section's giving me some major writer's block, and then there's work and studying…. I wanna say it'll be out this year, but I can't promise anything. If you're interested, I'll leave some of its details below.

UPDATE: JUST TO CLARIFY, THEY DON'T DO THE DEED! IT STOPS AT HEAVY PETTING. THEY HAVE SLIGHTLY MORE CLASS THAN TO JUST DO IT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE OFFICE SLIGHTLY OUT OF SPITE.

Title: **The In-Body Experience  
** Characters: **Mai, Naru, Gene** , OC, the irregulars  
Main genres: **Suspense, Mystery  
** Sub-genres: Comedy, Romance, Drama (won't show up on the filters, but they're still going to be present)  
Summary: **SPR is called in to investigate a ghost spiriting away girls. During the case, Mai's spirit is led astray as well. Gene steps in to keep her body alive. Needless to say, Naru is quite displeased to be reuniting with his brother in his... condition.** (tentative)

 **To my reviewers:**

 **Shunakoo25** , hope this chapter fulfills your fluff expectations! I definitely had fun writing the ending, which I really think you'll enjoy since we seem to be kind of alike. Thanks for hanging around and reviewing each chapter! You ROCK! Please enjoy!

 **Ghost loves japan 77** , no one really needs to get back into Mai's good graces. I feel like she isn't one to hold a grudge. She's pretty understanding, and she isn't like Naru, in that he's upset that the irregulars and Lin thought she had died. She understands that people are prone to mistakes, and that Naru is the smartest among them, but also the most unfeeling. Thanks for dropping a review and hope you enjoy our epilogue!

 **Agwen** , the end takes on a bit of a more… extreme development between Mai and Naru. I know that I made this fic pretty heavy, and the emotional confrontation between Mai and Naru this chapter just sort of amps it up. I wanted to end it on a light-hearted note, so I came to this conclusion. Naru might come across as a bit OOC, but of the many different ways he could react and progress, I felt this was the most appropriate route for him. Thanks for sticking by and for all the constructive criticism. Hope you enjoy our epilogue!

 **The Blue Rhapsody** , eehhhhhh, you semi get what you want thanks to the conditions Naru set for Mai and Shinobu because with the way I've been writing Naru, you're right: there's noooooooo way he'd let Shinobu hang around Mai… unsupervised, at least. Mai _does_ need time away from Shinobu to regain her sense of self, but Mai's compassion and empathy are kind of getting in the way. Naru recognizes this, so his conditions are his compromise. Thanks for sticking around! Hope you enjoy our epilogue!

* * *

 **Epilogue:  
Their Happy Ending**

There was a knock on the door. Without waiting for his response, Mai entered Oliver's office with a tray of tea and a small plate of finger sandwiches. Oliver stopped his typing and silently accepted the cup. Mai pulled out a small notepad from her breast pocket and rattled down the list of requests they'd received that day and reminding him of his upcoming appointments and lectures and his unanswered invitations. Oliver's eyes looked her over. Even with these past few weeks, he was still unaccustomed to seeing her look so professional.

Mai's shoulder-length hair had been cut into a fashionable pixie that better suited her (He was reluctant to admit that Yamasaka Shinobu had chosen a style well for her) and accentuated her large eyes endearingly. Gone were the tees, hoodies, shorts, and girlish skirts of the past; she now donned light-colored blouses paired with pressed skirts or trousers with the occasional cardigan or her mended green shawl on chillier days like today. It looked good on her, though he would never say this aloud. Today she wore a light blue, long-sleeved blouse, mended green shawl, a slate grey pencil skirt, and black tights. She painted her face with just the barest hint of makeup, and the functional work heels that matched her skirt really sealed the deal on her secretarial looks.

It seemed that Asami had left him a small gift in her parting.

Oliver set down the empty cup, and Mai instantly moved to refill it. Years of training kicking in and muscle memory taking over. "We will accept the Nakamura case in Meguro," he began. "Decline Adachi and direct him to a massage parlor and a repairman," he spoke more derisively. Oliver picked up a sandwich and inspected it. Cucumber, and prepared well enough that the water didn't soak through the bread. "Reschedule or cancel my lecture on Wednesday, whichever, I don't care. And accept the invitation to speak at the Convention of the Curious and Supernatural in Ireland. It's in three months' time, yes? Have them prepare three passes for us." He finished by biting into the small sandwich, his afternoon fatigue slowly disappearing with his consumption of caffeine and food.

He looked over the rim of his refilled tea cup at Mai. Five or six years ago, she would have gotten flustered and demand him to slow down or to repeat himself, but she kept her eyes on her notepad. Crossing out, circling, and noting his words. It was honestly impressive how competent she had become. _Speaking of which,_ he thought. "And you've submitted your letter of resignation to that insipid marketing agency where Asami was employed?" he said more than he asked.

Mai's head snapped up to glare at him, her hair bouncing neatly out of her eyes. "It's not 'insipid.'" she argued, "It was a good place to work, and I learned a lot in their secretarial department." At his unimpressed and impassive stare, her face scrunched up. "Yes, I submitted it before I started working for you again. They're just persistent in keeping contact since I know you, and they're now short-handed."

Oliver rolled his eyes and scoffed, taking another cucumber sandwich. "As if they'll be able to use me to sell any of their products, hence my use of the word 'insipid,' Mai." He finished the last sandwich and took a sip of tea to wash it down. The routine of taking afternoon tea at work really was invigorating.

"Speaking of Asami," Mai spoke in a low tone, "how was the exhumation of her ashes and her re-interment to the Yamasaka family gravesite?"

"All finished." Oliver responded with an effortless shrug and a dust of his hands.

Mai smiled. "Thanks for helping with the paperwork, Naru. I know it wasn't exactly something you _had_ to do, but I really appreciate the help, and I'm sure Shinobu does as well."

"I told you to address me appropriately as 'Shibuya-san' at the office." he reminded her. At the mention of the youngest Yamasaka's name, Oliver rubbed at his eyes from behind his glasses. "That girl," he grumbled, "the only thing she would appreciate from me is if I were to drop dead, that's for sure."

"Oh, that's not… okay, maybe it's a _little_ true." Mai giggled. "And how is she? She isn't giving you and Lin too much trouble is she?"

"How do you think she is? She's always complaining that she never gets to see you enough since I refuse to let her stay too long with you. How ungrateful, even though she can contact you over the phone any time she wishes. Really, she should be grateful that you persuaded me out of turning her into the police for kidnapping. What an unpleasant girl she is." Oliver sighed.

"Unpleasant, or no, you can't argue her grades." Mai smiled proudly. "She's still top of her class and nationally ranked. She told me that she's filling out a career path questionnaire today. How is her training coming along?"

"Annoyingly enough, well. The members my parents sent to train her have only sung her praises to me. She is exceeding expectations, and her control is ironclad without the constant stress of her athagoraphobia," Oliver frowned as he spoke of Yamasaka Shinobu's progress. He had expected, and slightly desired, her failure, so he could detach Mai and himself from her life once she turned to the age of majority.

"You sound so happy about her progress, I see." she said sarcastically before a giggle broke out. "Thanks." She played with her bangs as she thought about it. "I still can't believe you managed to register yourself as her legal guardian. She's almost eighteen!"

"Well, I'm just that hard to refuse," he said dryly. "How is your English coming along?"

"Better," Mai all but chirped, "my English teacher said that I'm picking it up quickly. I'm nowhere near fluent, but she thinks I'll be at about the intermediate level by the end of next year."

Oliver narrowed his eyes. "Study harder," he demanded. At her indignant sound, he reminded her, "Don't forget, you agreed to join me in England once Shinobu graduates. This office will only be in operation until then. That was our deal."

Mai threw up her hands and an exasperated noise ripped out from her throat, ruining the professional persona she had assumed. _Here_ was the Mai he had known. "Why am I going with you again? Why did you even make that one of your conditions?!" She slammed her hands down on his desk, rattling his empty cup and dish. Her eyes darted to them but quickly returned to him. Her fingers twitched, but she didn't move away. "I'm not a genius. I can't suddenly become fluent in one of the hardest languages in under a year just because you said so." Her face scrunched up before she bowed her head. "Why is this what you want? I don't understand, Naru…" she murmured.

"Name," he reminded in an offhanded manner. Oliver remained in his seat, focusing on her unpainted nails. Seems Mai didn't take to Asami's preference for manicures. He dragged his eyes to her bowed head and frowned. "I need to keep an eye on you. Whenever we've gone on cases in the past, you were almost always accosted by the spirit, if there had been one. Then there was the time I left on a case without you, and you went missing for five years and assumed dead," he reminded accusatorily, though the tone not particularly aimed towards her. He saw her fingers twitch again before curling into fists. "I can only trust Yamasaka Shinobu so much when it comes to you." His fingers returned to the keyboard, resuming his report from before her interruption. "We're both lucky that you've received Asami's secretarial skills. You're increased proficiency has made paperwork far less of a hassle for this office, and you actually dress for work now, which is a welcome change."

Mai's eye twitched. "How is all of this lucky for me?"

Oliver continued typing and, without missing a beat, responded, "If you were as useless as before, I'd have just kept you locked up in a safe house somewhere. Definitely in another country and far from Yamasaka Shinobu's reach."

"Sounds more like a threat that I had managed to escape." Mai pointed out.

"Simply a precautionary measure due to your tendency to go missing for both short and extended periods of time. The irregular members of SPR would have been be informed of your whereabouts should you have wished and I know it would give them all some peace of mind to know where you are at all times," he refuted. "Yamasaka Shinobu would have been the only one to be kept out of the loop."

"A bit excessive, don't you think?"

"Perhaps, but it would be for your own safety, which is of higher priority than your wants and perceptions."

Mai withdrew her hands from his desk to fold in front of her. "Why are you doing this, Naru?"

"Name."

"No one else is in here!" she shouted with a gesture of flailing arms. "And we aren't expecting anyone for the rest of today. So… Why would you go so far for me? Do so much for me?" she asked in a low, inquiring voice. "I just don't understand…."

"There's always the possibility of a walk-in." he reasoned. "And If I must continue to remind you," Oliver started in an exasperated tone, "the last time I left you alone, you went missing for five years, assumed dead, found, but only to have revealed that you had forgotten everyone and everything, including you own identity." As he spoke, the speed and ferocity at which he hit the keys intensified. His glasses suddenly felt like they were amplifying the brightness of his screen, and he narrowed his eyes in his irritation.

She frowned at this. "Yes, I know, but why does that bother you so much?"

Oliver, seeming to realize the racket he was making, calmed his typing and resumed at his normal pace and volume. "It didn't, and it doesn't. You were, are, my employee, and I didn't know your whereabouts. You know I dislike unfinished business and loose ends, Mai." There was no response, and the room fell silent of human voices. A minute passed with nothing but the clicking of keys and the ticking of the wall clock before he broke the tension. "If you have no more questions, you can return to your desk now," he dismissed.

Mai turned away and stepped to the door, heart in her throat. A shaky hand grasped the knob. The typing continued. Her hand fell back to her side, and she leaned her forehead against the door. "I still love you, you know…" she said quietly, knowing he had heard her anyways. The typing continued, and she inhaled a raspy breath before continuing with a slightly louder voice, "When I had confessed to you… after we found Gene… after you asked whether it was you or him… I didn't know how to answer you, even up until Agawa-san's case…. I was given the time to think about it when Asami took over." How kind of her; "given" was a kinder word than "forced," but Oliver didn't bother to correct her. "All the time I spent inside my head, I was reliving my memories, especially the ones I had made of SPR. I came to terms that I had loved Gene, but in the worst way I could have." She curled into herself and sobbed. "I loved him thinking he was you…." The clicking of keys didn't stop, so neither did she. "Living in that loop of memories was so strange, but it had helped me cope.

"The time I spent with Gene hadn't been nearly as prominent as the time I had spent with you. And the more I relived our time together, the more I learned about you, or at least _felt_ like I did." She stopped to clear her throat. If Naru had been listening, or cared, she would bet that he would tell about how faulty human memories are and try to poke holes in her claims through that. Maybe he was right in that scenario, but then again, her memories hadn't exactly painted him in a kinder or more generous light. He was still narcissistic, blunt, and rude in her head. But living the same life over and over again, watching his actions while actually knowing his whole plan was what really showed his better sides – consideration, determination, and the occasional act of conscious and even subconscious kindness.

"When Shinobu accidentally woke me up," she continued, "I began looking for you, not Gene, in my dreams and when I was 'sleepwalking.' It felt like I was lost the entire time." And if Naru had really used his psychometry like he had claimed, he would have seen her, heard her, calling _his_ name, not Gene's. "And then, one day, the loop stopped. There was a path out. I wasn't lost anymore because you found me. I didn't have to look for you anymore. When _you_ found me, woke me, _you_ allowed me to continue my life as Taniyama Mai. You forced the truth out of me and made me confront it. And now… being here with you after spending so much time with you in my mind… it hurts…." She gasped. Mai dabbed at her eyes using the cuff of her sleeve. Mascara dotted the light blue fabric instead of marking lines down her cheeks. She silently cursed the habits Asami left her with because she just wanted to cry, loud and ugly with tears and snot and not having to worry about makeup, but she hadn't expected to cry today.

She put a hand over her mouth to muffle a sob. A hiccup ricocheted in her head so loudly that she didn't hear the clicking of keys stop. Mai inhaled deeply and soldiered on with her confession, "It hurts, Naru, knowing that you _want_ me to stay with you… but only on a platonic level. I know you don't feel this way about me, and I know… you probably won't ever return my feelings, but this situation... it… it only…"—she sniffled and dabbed again at her eyes with her mottled cuff—"it only gives me false hope that you'll one day feel the same way, and I'm too weak to want to leave, to say 'no'." She straightened her back as she stared at the door.

"I'll try, though," she said as firmly as she could. "I will honestly try, Naru, to not let this get in the way of work, but I will need some time away from you, so I can stop… feeling this way about you," she said, now a bit uncomfortable with professing her love for him so outright and with so much time left in the workday. "I hope you understand. I'm not going back on our deal! I just… need some space. I'm sorry." She sniffed, then smiled. She placed her hand back on the doorknob. "And thank you for finding me." She was able to open it by a crack before a hand slid smoothly over her shoulder to press the door closed.

Mai's eyes widened, and she turned around to face her boss as he removed his hand from the door. He was staring at her in an unnerving manner, glasses tucked into the breast pocket of his shirt. Mai flushed and looked away, ducking her head in a feeble attempt to escape his eyes. She curled inter herself ever so slightly to make herself smaller, but nothing she did could dispel the nervousness knocking her knees and wringing her hands. She straightened herself mechanically, unfolding bit by bit. She cleared her throat and kept her eyes on Oliver's polished shoes. "I… I'll be going back to my desk now… if you need me." She jerked around to face the door. Her hand twisted the knob and opened the door.

Again, she was only able to open it by a hair's breadth. However, the same hand shot past her shoulder, and the door closed with a loud click as opposed to its earlier silence. The doorknob had all but been pulled from her loose grip, and she stared at her empty, curled hand, as if unable to process what had just happened. She swallowed the saliva that nervously pooled in her mouth. Slowly, as if she were moving in a pool of caramel, she turned to face him. His arm remained firmly on the door as he stared into her eyes. "N… Naru?"

"Name," he muttered halfheartedly. The silence was counted by the tick of the clock. They had been staring at each other for an inordinate amount of time before he broke the silence. "You had always been so… frustrating…" he ground out, "Your confusion over my brother and me, your stubbornness, your compassion, your reaction to seeing me when Gene returned to help us with the Agawa House Case..." Mai was shocked that he still remembered. It made sense for her to; she had relived her memories for years, after all, but it should've been long buried in his mind. "And then you just vanished one day." His hand fisted against the door. "You were simply… gone…. You followed a stranger out of the office, escaped a house fire only to run _back inside_ , and disappeared after reaching Aomori Hospital." His fist struck the door once, as if to get his point across. Mai flinched at the loud sound and moved away from the door, unconsciously closer to him.

"You were such an idiot, and you still are!" Naru's volume raised slightly, and he hit the door again. "Everyone thought you were dead, Mai! They tried to _convince_ me that you were dead! Over five years of near complete ignorance. I had already known of Gene's state when I came to Japan, but it wasn't the same with you. With you, I didn't know." His back bent, and his head bowed, hiding his eyes from her sight. "You weighed on my mind in a way Gene couldn't have – your safety, your well-being… whether you were happy being away from all of this…." he admitted in a whisper. "That time away from you, Mai, was… trying. My investigations had me confronting some… truths that I am still uncomfortable with voicing or even contemplating for too long." His hands went to her upper arms, tightening around her light blue sleeves. "But I will say this: I need to know you're safe, to know where you are. I'd never grasped around in the dark as futilely as I had while searching for you." He took a great, heaving breath. "I need you to stay… nearby…."

Mai's eyes were wide enough that they could pop out of their sockets, and her mouth opened in an unseemly gape. His implication and unspoken words hung in the air and thickening the tension between them. She closed her mouth and licked her dry lips. Her eyes focused on the pomade-slicked hair on his bent head. "But… do you _want_ me nearby?" Pale hands trembled as she lightly cupped his cheek, waiting for him to pull away and to call her a moron or an idiot or any other insult that was characteristic of their old relationship.

It was surprising that he did nothing along those lines.

Slowly, she tilted his face up. His back was still bent, so his eyes were was near her height. Naru's gaze was pinned to their shoes. It was doubly surprising that he refused to meet her eyes. Naru was never a nervous person, but his obstinate avoidance was unusual for a confident being such as him. She would have to tread lightly. "You don't have to tell me everything else. You don't have to explain yourself to me. You can tell me when you're ready, or never. I can wait for all that stuff; I've already been waiting, but I at least need to know…" she whispered, "do you _want_ me to stay near you? Is that something you would _like_?" she stressed.

"It…"—Naru inhaled deeply, broad chest heaving—"It is."

Mai gave him a small smile. However, her brows knit together, lending her smile an air of sadness. Her hands fell back to her sides and she looked to the clock on the wall. "And…" she took a shuddering breath, "And do you think any sort of relationship is possible between us? Anything beyond what we had back then… what we have now?" Reluctantly, her gaze dragged away from the wall and back to the man before her. He was actually looking at her now, and the intensity of his dark eyes had her blood rushing though her veins. Naru actually looked as if he were taking her question into consideration. It was a start. "Aa…" She coughed into the back of her hand. "I mean, you don't need to answer, really. I just wanted to… I expected… I don't know. Maybe I was just getting carried away or too hopeful. I don't know…!" _I should leave before this gets any more awkward,_ she thought, turning away.

"I… don't… know…" Naru haltingly echoed her.

Mai's head snapped back around to look at him. "W-What?"

"I don't know," he repeated quietly.

It took her a few seconds to process his words. _Naru doesn't know. What doesn't he know? What is he…?_ Her eyes widened at the realization. Fresh tears sprung to her eyes, and she couldn't help the grin overtaking her face. "You don't know…!" In her enthusiasm, she stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around him loosely, merrily bouncing on the balls of her feet. "You don't know. You don't know!" Naru was never unsure, especially when it came to his person. This bout of uncertainty might mean that there was hope for her yet! Her arms tightened around his waist, and she buried her face in his black shirt as her excitement continued to bubble. "That's great!"

Naru's brows knit together as he watched her with the most bemused expression his face was capable of mustering. "Yes, well, don't hold your breath." He was stiff in her embrace, obviously uncomfortable with the blatant affection and physical contact.

"Why not?" Mai chirped, "I can wait!" She comically inhaled deeply and puffed out her cheeks, eyes glittering with mischief as Naru rubbed at his eyes and muttered under his breath – something about how she never listened to him. Her eyes glanced at the clock quickly, wondering how long she could actually hold on.

The childish and digital cry of "LINE!" rang out, and Mai accidentally released her breath in her shock. Naru glared at her for annoying choice of a notification sound. A much more serious beep sounded on his desk, and his glasses were out of his pocket and back on his face. Mai stuck out her tongue and unwound her arms to let him check his phone while she did the same. A succession of "LINE!" erupted from her phone and interrupted each other, and she giggled. Shinobu should've been done with class by now, and she seemed very excited by something if the notifications were anything to go by.

Mai unlocked her phone and opened her chat. As she suspected, the messages were all from Shinobu; however, the student had included quite a few things along with her texts and some Cinnamoroll stickers: some selfies, pictures of a paper, and even a voice recording. She was about to enlarge one of the pictures when Naru slammed his fist against his desk. The phone slipped from Mai's hands, and she fumbled around, trying to catch it. When it slipped out of her grasp again, she dove for the small electronic, landing face-first onto the office floor. Her legs were bent and feet stuck up on the air. One grey heel fell off, while the other hung precariously at a lopsided angle from her toes. Her arms were held straight up, phone clutched victoriously in the air. _Wait, Naru has carpet! Why did I even bother?!_ She groaned at the realization. She irately blew her mussed bangs from her eyes and stared at the desk. "What's wrong?"

"That girl…!"

Knowing who he was talking about, Mai rolled to her side and stood up, fixing her now-wrinkled pencil skirt back over her legs. She frowned when she noticed the holes and runs in her tights that resulted from her uselessly heroic dive. "She has a name, you know." She righted her shoe and hobbled around in search for its missing pair. She checked the area where she fell and saw a smudge of foundation on the white carpet. She ground her un-shoed foot over the stain, silently willing it to absorb into her tights. "What did she do, steal your credit card, or something?" The spot lightened a bit and now only appeared noticeable if you were actively seeking it out.

"Or something," Naru groused, "check the messages she sent you."

Mai stopped her shoe-searching and checked her phone. The selfie was of a grinning Shinobu with an equally happy-looking woman in a tracksuit. _Not that. Next._ The next picture was of her career path questionnaire – three things listed in English. _Hold on…._ Mai squinted at the letters, recognizing only one word on each line. "University! She's aiming for a university abroad!" she deduced happily. She scrolled down further and played the recording.

"Hello, is this Shibuya Kazuya-san's assistant? This is Yamasaka Shinobu's homeroom teacher, Kamiya Akemi. She's asked that I contact you in place of her legal guardian, so as to not disturb him. Such a considerate girl." Naru grunted, but Mai ignored him. "I've just spoken with her about her future plans, and I'm proud to say that she's got her head on straight and a bright future ahead of her!" Mai swelled with pride, and she grinned. "Her grades are spectacular, and I have no doubt that she could get into her first choice with just a bit more practice in English. Please pass the good news on to Shibuya-san!"

There was a short pause, then two people talking. Shinobu's voice replaced her homeroom teacher's, "Well, you heard Kamiya-sensei! Make sure that _that guy_ hears about this, Mai-san! Oh, and I'll be coming by the office after school to discuss my studies with _him_. See you soon!"

"Did you hear that, Naru? Isn't it great!"

"Mai, all the schools she's chosen are in _England_. She's intent on following us." Naru scowled and glared at the phone in Mai's hand. "And, according to that mindless instructor, she'll be able to do it with little issue." He dropped his own phone back onto his desk none too gently. He stood, clasping his hands behind him and strode towards the door. "She still clings to you. No doubt this will interfere with what I have planned." With a deft twist of his wrist, the lock clicked into place quietly. "Perhaps… advancing our relationship would be of better benefit," he pondered aloud. A warm ball flared to life in the pit of his stomach as he thought about it, further exploring the option.

Mai flushed and took a step back, stumbling, reminded that she only wore one shoe. "W-Wait… what?"

"Yes, if we entered into a more… intimate relationship, I would be able to keep a closer eye on you with less question and meet with less resistance from the others." He slowly approached her. Mai, on the other hand, continued to hobble back. "You would possibly feel more obligated to join me in England, to listen to me, but I doubt it." She was forced to stop when her back hit the shelf, rattling the books.

She slowly angled her body and took small steps away from him and the shelf. "Luella and Martin would be happy with such a leap in my social development. You would finally be able to see Yamasaka Shinobu as often as you wish, and, simultaneously, I would be able to keep an eye on you both while maddening that irritating girl from every astral plane and back." His proximity to her was dizzying. She could smell the faintest musk of his pomade, and his body heat caused a sweat to break on her back. She continued to take her wobbling steps back.

"LINE!"

The notification stopped her progress. Naru glared and snatched the phone from Mai's hand before she could blink. He easily unlocked her phone, knowing an uncreative person like Mai would use her birthday, and checked the message. He frowned at seeing it was Yamasaka Shinobu informing her of a delay in her arrival to the office. The girl was stopping by a Taiwanese drink shop that had opened near her school to get her a… "bubble fruit tea," whatever that blasphemy was, to celebrate. "And perhaps I'll be able to break your appalling tea habits," Naru murmured.

"What?!" Mai shrieked with fisted hands. "There's nothing wrong with my taste!"

"No," Naru agreed, oddly enough, "but I expect for my significant other to have about the same palate as me, and while you can ingest and consume anything you wish, my tongue is far more refined than yours. I refuse to drink that compost you call 'fruit tea,' but you are welcome to juice or any other straight or milk tea derived from a leaf." He turned the screen off on her phone, but then thought against it and shut the thing off altogether, dropping it into the pocket of his tailored slacks once the screen blackened. "So, congratulations, Mai. It seems as if you didn't have long to wait. You probably could've kept holding your breath."

Mai didn't know how to react; she couldn't react beyond the wide gape of her mouth. Time stopped in her head as her mind short-circuited in trying to process his words. She was rocked back into place when he took off his glasses. _Why is taking them off?_ Thin fingers deftly folded the legs to tuck his frames into his breast pocket. "Wait," she gasped, "what are you doing?"

"If we're in a relationship now, a non-platonic one at that, don't you think such a thing should be celebrated… _consummated_ somehow?" he answered her question with another of his own and hooked his fingers into the knot of her scarf.

Her face flushed as her lips nervously pressed into a thin line. "C-C…Con…?"

"Besides, the heater's on. Why are you even wearing this thing?"

She continued her wobbling steps back. The knot undid itself around Naru's fingers, and the mended green fabric slid away from her neck to the floor. The sudden chill caused goose-pimples to rise at the skin of her throat. She backed away and stumbled when she encountered an obstacle. She turned around to see that her bum had smacked into the edge of Naru's desk. She called out uneasily, "Naru?" When she turned back to him, his collar had been undone. The most terrible of smirks she had ever seen was on his face as he reached out to her neck again. "N-Naru…?" she squeaked.

* * *

Lin stared down at the high school student impatiently tapping her foot. A bag containing a perspiring drink hung from one of the wrists of her folded hands. "What's going on, Lin-san?" she hissed.

The tall man cleared his throat, eyes shifting uncomfortable around the hall as he waited for Taniyama-san and Oliver to finish… whatever they were doing.

Lin had stepped out of the office to ask for a cup of tea and an afternoon snack that Taniyama-san had taken to preparing for them, a welcome custom she picked up from her time at the marketing agency, she claimed. The young woman usually made her rounds about that time, and even quite punctually. So it came as somewhat of a surprise that she was late, then not at her desk when he had left his office. _Probably with Oliver,_ he had thought. He had gone to the younger man's office door silently. He had been about ready to knock when he had heard something hit the door.

Instantly, his hands had raised up and away from the door as he quickly backpedaled. _That_ never happened… whatever it was. _And I don't want to be here to find out why._ Lin had gone to the kitchenette to brew himself a cup of tea, concentrating on the boiling water to distract himself from overhearing whatever was going on in that office. As soon as it had started boiling, Lin had filled a thermos with the water, leaving some room, and dropped a bag of black tea into the insulated canister. He had grabbed his coat, left the warmth of the SPR office altogether, and walked out into the chilly hall, closing the door tightly behind him. He added some cold water to his tea and swirled the thermos around to allow the temperatures and flavors to mix.

He had been quietly sipping away, about halfway into the thermos, checking his emails, when he saw Yamasaka-san approaching. The hair at his nape raised in caution, and he moved to block her entry, resulting in their current confrontation. "Da… Shibuya-san is… busy," he said vaguely.

Yamasaka raised a brow. "Is he with a client?"

"In a sense."

She narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you out here? Shouldn't you be in there with him? I'm sure you'd be of more help taking a case request than Mai-san." She meant no insult to Taniyama-san, he knew, because it was also an excuse for her to be rid of him and Oliver while simultaneously monopolizing the woman's time. When she received no answer, she frowned. "I'll leave a message for Mai-san, then." She brought out her phone, and her thumbs flew across the keyboard. Yamasaka-san's face soured with every unanswered minute. By the fifth, she broke the building tension. "What is this?" she asked suspiciously, "Mai-san never takes this long to read my texts!"

"How do you know?" Lin asked. Yamasaka-san rolled her eyes and showed him her phone. Lin felt his throat dry slightly as he realized they were chatting through than damned app Taniyama-san and the irregulars used. It time-stamped when people opened a chat to view a message. It seemed incredibly convenient at most times, but it was incredibly inconvenient for him at the moment. "I see," is all he could think to say.

"Ugh, you would've known this if you and Hakase would just get LINE already. It'd make contacting you two so much easier." She pressed a few buttons and lifted the phone to her ear. Almost immediately, she pulled it away with a scowl. Over the speaker, Lin could hear a mechanical voice telling her the other party couldn't be reached. "Seriously, what's going on?!" she yelled to herself more than she did to him.

She went through her phone's contact list and called Taniyama-san. She was greeted by a different voice this time, but with the same message. "Her phone's off…!" Yamasaka-san concluded. "Mai-san never turns off her phone! Hakase would give her an earful if she ever did!" Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the contacts listed on her phone. "Unless…." She tapped on another name and held the phone back to her ear, looking for all the world as if she were about to burn down the building.

Lin could hear the ringing through the speakers. It continued for a few seconds before someone finally picked up. "I'm busy," Oliver's irate voice came through the speakers.

"Why is Mai-san's phone turned off?" she asked sternly.

"Because I turned it off." Lin could practically see Oliver's deadpan look.

"WHY DID YOU TURN IT OFF?!" Yamasaka-san shrieked into her phone. Lin cringed a bit at the volume, and he was sure that Oliver had distanced himself from the phone.

"Because _she's_ busy," Oliver answered in a glib tone. "Go study in the café downstairs for a bit. She'll come get you when she's free." Lin heard the beep that signaled an ended call.

Yamasaka-san stared at the phone disbelievingly. Black eyes blinked owlishly at it as the metaphorical cogs turned in her head. The transformation was instantaneous. One second she was wide-eyed and confused; the next, she was red-faced and biting on her fist to muffle her outraged scream (it didn't do much, honestly). She shook her head furiously, wisps of black whipping free of her tight French braid and tail beating the sides of her neck with impressive speed.

Shoving the phone back into the pocket of her skirt, she breathed deeply in a semblance of trying to calm herself. She smoothed back the loose hairs around her face, tucking a few strands behind her ears. To her credit, she didn't yell at him when she said, "Let me into the office, please, Lin-san." She had even managed to sound polite, but the steely look in her eye was a might terrifying.

"They're busy."

He saw her stiffen at the reminder. She grabbed onto the lapel of his coat with her free hand. Her grip was loose enough not to wrinkle the fabric, and neither did she pull on it. Instead, she chose to look into his unhidden eye as she threatened him, "Do you want to let me in, or would you prefer to forget that you saw me today?"

It was a lose-lose scenario either way. One was just a hint less terrible than the other. Besides, it was better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. _Especially when that permission's been denied already._ Lin stepped to the side and out of the way of the door. Yamasaka-san neatly smoothed his lapel and nodded primly. "Thank you, Lin-san," she said courteously. She opened the door to SPR, and Lin peeked inside to watch the chaos unfold.

Yamasaka-san set the drink down on Taniyama-san's desk before marching straight to Oliver's office. She rapped on the door loudly with the side of her fist, free hand on her hip. She knocked for a solid half a minute before Oliver finally opened the door, just wide enough for them to see him. When she saw him, she gawped uncharacteristically. Even Lin couldn't stop his eyes from widening or from his mouth dropping open just the slightest bit.

He was absolutely disheveled.

Oliver ran a hand to correct his hair, which was sticking up at all sorts of ridiculous angles, and the top three buttons of his shirt were undone. His eyes were narrowed angrily at her interruption. Lin could relate. "Are your ears for decoration, or didn't you hear me say that we were busy?" Oliver questioned with a deep frown. He leaned against the doorframe in a domineering manner, barring her from entering his territory.

"Your words were acknowledged and dismissed," Yamasaka-san replied with an arrogant wave of her hand, words and actions that seemed to come as naturally to her as they did to her guardian. The two of them were far too much alike in too many unpleasant aspects, in Lin's opinion. "Where's Mai-san?" He heard Yamasaka-san ask.

Oliver smirked at her from down his nose. The satisfaction dancing in his narrowed eyes made it seem more condescending than ever before. "She's here." He turned his head slightly to look into his office as he spoke, "The girl's calling for you, Mai."

"I have a name!"

"She has a name!" Taniyama-san and Yamasaka-san retorted in unison. The door opened fully, and Taniyama-san stepped out to join Oliver at the doorframe. Lin openly gaped seeing her.

She looked even _worse_.

Like the researcher, her hair was a complete mess that she was trying to tame into a semblance of what it had been that morning. Her scarf was gone to show the mismatched buttons of her blouse. From the crooked collar, dark marks were visibly proliferating the length of her neck. Her grey skirt was wrinkled, her black tights had some holes and runs in them, and she was missing a shoe. Yamasaka Shinobu released a bloodcurdling scream as she saw the woman.

"Ah, that reminds me." Oliver withdrew a familiar pastel-swirled device from the pocket of his slacks. "Here's your phone, Mai. There's no point in my keeping it now that Yamasaka is here." If possible, the high school student screamed even louder. It was surprising that the windows didn't crack from the pitch she was capable of reaching.

Lin stared at Oliver, the apathetic, moody professor he was in charge of guarding. He looked so different with his mussed hair and flushed assistant, provoking both his ward and her. The barely concealed deviousness on his face showed that everything went according to his plan. Lin took a long sip from his thermos before capping it. He smiled as he tapped out an email to Madoka, Luella, and Martin.


End file.
